The Social Stars Who Broke Out During Trump’s First Term Return for an Encore None of Them Wanted

Say what you will about Donald Trump (actually, don’t), but his first term as president proved to be a boon to the comedy economy, launching a cluster of funny folks who specialized in skewering the 45th president. Now that he’s back for the sequel — and causing more mayhem than ever in Washington — The Hollywood Reporter checked back in with some of them to see how they’re adapting to Trump 2.0.

Sarah Cooper

SPECIALTY: TIKTOK LIP-SYNC VIDEOS

How are you adjusting to the new Trump administration?

Oh, there’s no adjusting. You can’t adjust to chaos. Because then you become the chaos. I’m trying to be the eye of the storm, but even that’s pretty nauseating. Avoiding the news if impossible. I’m scared to look and even more scared to look away. I was totally convinced this country would never re-elect him. I thought we’d all had enough of waking up every morning wondering what the madman in the White House was going to do next. I guess not. I guess we love it. We love it so much that now we have multiple madmen in the White House. I’m definitely still doomscrolling on TikTok but I’m also hope scrolling and silly scrolling and getting random tarot card readings. 

Are you still making Trump-related content?

Was it content? Or was it art? You’re right, it was content. And yes, I am still doing it. I feel like I was making Trump-related content even before he became president. My books about how to look smart in meetings and how to be successful without hurting men’s feelings were both about him without me even realizing it. Comedians always talk about what has power over them. For me that’s always been identity, men, technology, and my own stupidity. So, even when I’m not talking about Trump, I still kind of am. Is he going to read this? I hope not.

How has your material changed from your Trump 1.0 material?

I launched a video podcast called Say Anything with Sarah Cooper where I’ll sometimes lip sync then use that to kick off a rant. I wanted the lip syncs to be part of a conversation, and use them to feel some type of connection, because I need to talk about this stuff and my imaginary friends don’t have time for me.

Best advice for getting through the next four years?

Hasn’t it already felt like four years? I just want people to keep in mind that there might not be any “getting through” this. In 2020, there was hope. There was an election. This time it feels like I’m lip syncing the iceberg.I shared this on Substack recently and it went viral: “It’s so strange to see people referring over and over to “the next four years” as if any of the systems we have in place now will still exist then. Personally I don’t think we’ll recognize this country in four years. We might not even recognize ourselves.”

You might say this is defeatist, but I think the real defeatist attitude is waiting around for someone to save us in two or four years. That mindset makes us passive—it keeps us scrolling through memes, hoping it’ll all just blow over. But we can’t afford to do that. For creative people, it can feel overwhelming. You might think, “Why bother making art or pursuing my dream when everything is such a mess?” But that’s exactly why you should create. The future is uncertain, and that’s all the more reason to make the most of the moment we have right now.

So, take care of yourself. Take care of your friends, family, your community, and your creative spirit. Be as fearless as you can. Right now. Don’t leave anything on the table. Or is it leave everything on the table? I can never remember.

Randy Rainbow

SPECIALTY: YOUTUBE MUSICAL EXTRAVAGANZAS

How are you adjusting to the new Trump administration? 

As well as can be expected. Like everyone, I’m still trying to find my footing in these first few weeks. I know we’ve been here before, but damn — this ain’t like riding a bike. Let’s just say there was nothing dry about my January.

Are you still making Trump-related content? 

It turns out I am! I know, I can’t believe it either. I’ve always followed the bouncing ball of whoever is dominating the headlines, and there’s no question about who it is these days. 

How has your material changed from your Trump 1.0 material? 

My musical arrangements are fancier now. So are my wigs. Thankfully, I made musical comedy my schtick, so even though the subject matter may not always change from video to video, each production is new territory. That keeps things fresh for me, and hopefully for my audience as well. You gotta make your own fun around here. 

How else are you making people laugh?

I just released a book of humor essays called Low-Hanging Fruit. I’m also currently writing the script for my new comedy tour which kicks off at the end of May. 

Best advice for getting through the next four years? 

Laugh when you want to cry. And for God’s sake, put down the phone and step away from the news occasionally. I promise everything will still be awful when you come back.

J-L Cauvin

SPECIALTY: VIRAL IMPERSONATIONS

How are you adjusting to the new Trump administration?

More cynically. It’s hard to take our nation as seriously after re-electing him. And the only thing more pathetic is how for the second time in 8 years I’m hearing a loud chorus of people placing blame anywhere but on Trump voters and the apathetic and nihilistic who sat out and proffer their inaction as principle.

Are you still making Trump-related content?

Yep. I really believed I’d wrap it up in 2021, but he never ceded the spotlight and the algorithms of Twitter/X and YouTube seem to be unwilling to show my followers anything I do unless it has Trump in the title. Perhaps my next video should be “Donald Trump presents J-L Cauvin doing something funny besides Trump.” Democracy may die in darkness, but art definitely dies when it has to please the algorithm.

How has your material changed from your Trump 1.0 material?

On a Trump-specific level, my impression has gotten slower with more sniffling and a little more gravelly to reflect the present reality of the man.  In general, after realizing a large percentage of my followers were more bored progressives than fans of stand-up comedy, I’ve worried less about the sensibilities of people who basically want MSNBC as their comedy.  I am a proud Democrat, but just as I don’t do comedy with an intention to please edge lords on the Right, I can’t worry about pearl clutching on the Left. 

Best advice for getting through the next four years?

Eat. Pray. Love. And when those fail, vote for Democrats in 2026 and 2028.

Anthony Atamanuik

SPECIALTY: IMPERSONATION (COMEDY CENTRAL’S THE PRESIDENT SHOW)

How are you adjusting to the new Trump administration?

I fully gave up on corporate news organizations like CNN, MSNBC and The New York Times. They are not in the business of journalism. They are in the business of political sports betting coverage. The anchors are unserious people pretending to be journalists and it just bummed me out.  I also feel like the Democratic Party has to have a wholesale leadership change, which, based on the DNC chair election [won by Minnesota DFL Party chair Ken Martin], won’t happen any time soon. To boil it down, I have resigned myself for now, saving my energy to be useful in some capacity as the fabric of our already broken and corrupt corporate oligarchy tears to shreds. I think of all the undocumented workers being rounded up, our trans community facing even more violence and bigotry, Asian Americans, Black Americans facing overt public bigotry, women being forced to die in some states because they can’t make their own health decisions, I think their adjustment is far more perilous than mine.

Are you still making Trump-related content?

I make private content for former President Show colleagues! I performed Trump a handful of times before the election at UCB Theatre NY, mostly to motivate myself to write again.  I am on the fence about portraying him. I feel if the right project came along or that I could develop the correct take on him now, I would do it just to demean him and all the mud-rutting billionaires around him. It seems that most major media companies are gutless and won’t go a Trump directly, or the larger corrupt system that includes Democrats and Republicans. I would hope there is some buyer out there who realizes that this is the time to mock these fascists, not run from them.

How has your material changed, or not, from your Trump 1.0 material?

I slur as him a lot more. I play him far more distracted and incoherent. Beyond that, I was playing Trump 2.0 when everyone else was still doing “Cheeto Face” jokes, so I didn’t need to catch up. I was already ahead.

Best advice for getting through the next four years?

Don’t get caught up in every story. It’s not necessary to have a social media account and if you have one for promotion or business, limit it to that. Don’t “scroll” and don’t fall victim to the algorithm. Find independent journalists you can trust, like Ken Klippenstein, Ryan Grimm, The Intercept, Francesca Fiorentini to name a few. Don’t take the trend bait of politics as sports. And prepare yourself to be civilly active. Organize, march, general strikes, consumption freezes, support your local politicians and encourage your governors and mayors to stand up to federal vverreach. There was comedy and entertainment all through World War 2, even in Nazi occupied countries like Poland and France. People find ways to see relief, but we’ll also have to prepare ourselves for a long fight to change and save this nation.

A version of this story appeared in the Feb. 12 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.