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Adam Sandler’s Done. Here’s Who’s Making Us Laugh Now.

From Nathan Fielder to Jenny Slate, a new generation of Jewish comedians are ensuring our laughter for years to come

by
Jesse Bernstein
June 06, 2016
Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images for Comedy Central
Nathan Fielder in New York City, November 12, 2015. Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images for Comedy Central
Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images for Comedy Central
Nathan Fielder in New York City, November 12, 2015. Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images for Comedy Central

“The comedic equivalent of being whomped in the face with a pillowcase full of nickels.”

“A film that gets markedly dumber with every passing minute.”

“A comedy with almost no jokes.”

Critics, right?

The vindictiveness of the above reviews notwithstanding, Adam Sandler’s latest straight-to-Netflix release, The Do-Over, is really quite bad. Between product placement so blatant as to turn the movie in a “longform Budweiser commercial” and a central plot device involving cancer, the rectum of a dead body, and a key, The Do-Over isn’t what you’d call funny or even entertaining. Sandler’s time as ruler of Jewish comedy seems to be fading further and further away.

In the meantime, enjoy a sampling below from some of the best Jewish comedians working today, none of whom starred in Grown-Ups 2:

Nathan Fielder
Some say he’s cruel; others say he’s making cleverly disguised commentary on late capitalism. But pretty much everyone says he’s funny. His show, Nathan For You, pitches unwitting local businesses with ideas so absurd they start to make sense. Below, Fielder starts a new jacket company after being alerted that the one he usually wears is produced by a company that honored a Holocaust denier:

Jessi Klein
Stand-up! Actress! Writer! Producer! Director! Klein, the head writer on Inside Amy Schumer and author of the forthcoming You’ll Grow Out Of It, has been involved with everything from Chappelle’s Show to Saturday Night Live.

Moshe Kasher
Kasher’s memoir reads like a set-up to his act: a kid, born to deaf Satmar Hasidim, the black sheep in a family that counted rabbis and Yiddish writers in their midst, who drank his way to prison, rehab, then sobriety, before deciding to become a stand-up comedian. Even more to the point, the punchlines land.

Nick Kroll
Kroll’s probably best known for boundary-pushing Kroll Show, but he’s been at it for years—stand-up, writing for and starring in The League, writing for Chappelle’s Show and The Human Giant, stealing scenes in Get Him to the Greek and Community…the list goes on and on. And, of course, he gifted the world with none other than Gil Faizon.

Jenny Slate
Jenny Slate’s come a long way from saying the f-word on her first episode of SNL. After years of stand-up, improv, guest spots on shows like Girls and House of Lies and, of course, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Slate has finally started to land roles that showcase both her comedic and dramatic talents.

Jesse Bernstein is a former Intern at Tablet.