TIL my dad jokes were too long and complicated this whole time

I used to tell these long setup jokes with three or four parts. Took like a minute to get through each one. Then my 8 year old nephew told me my jokes were boring and walked away mid joke. That kid is brutal but he was right. Now I keep them to one sentence max and the groans are way better. Has anyone else had a kid call out your joke delivery like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

dakotawells1mo ago

Why would you DUMB down your comedy for a kid who doesn't get nuance?

nathanbennett1mo ago

Three years ago I tested this with my niece, a kid who loves puns but misses sarcasm completely. @dakotawells, the trick is to layer in simple jokes she gets while keeping a few smarter references for the adults watching. It sounds watered down but most comedians have to adjust for their audience anyway, and kids grow into that stuff faster than you think.