David Cross just released his ninth stand-up special, and as always, he’s doing it his way. The comedian known for his offbeat 1990s sketch comedy series “Mr. Show” and his character Tobias Fünke in the sitcom “Arrested Development” sat down with Fox News Digital for a wide-ranging exclusive interview that ranged from the value of virality to what makes art AI-proof and even to crying about baseball.
“The End of the Beginning of the End” is now streaming on YouTube featuring a new hour of comedy complete with Cross’ signature anecdotes deconstructing life’s absurdities. With eight previous stand-up specials under his belt, he said his audience understands what type of show to expect from him by now.
“I know this sounds, you know, corny, but they’re really smart,” Cross said of his audience, “And they are mostly like-minded people. And they know what they’re getting at this point,” which he described as a balance between silly and political jokes, including some personal stories, offensive humor and topical bits.
His care for his audience extended to his wife, whose writing talents he praised, and to the , a subject that sparked his interest and concern.
But when it came to his own career, the comic took a more laid-back tack. Cross said he doesn’t tailor his work for algorithms or soften his material for mass appeal.
“At this point, I don’t give a s—, man. I’m gonna do it and if you want to come down, show up. If not, whatever, it’s fine. I’m doing my thing. The audience is happy. Come down if you want, I don’t give a f—.”
Cross “thing” is threading the needle between the playful and the provocative, he said.
“I don’t want to make it too heavily silly or too heavily political. I like to keep a really nice balance through the whole thing.”
He told Fox News Digital he thinks of himself not as a “political comic,” but rather as “a comic who does talk about politics a little bit.”
Indeed, politics isn’t the only touchy subject Cross will tear into onstage. Religion is no safer from his absurd probing. He recalled one shocking joke in particular that he predicted would get a strong reaction. The punchline involved traveling back in time to kill baby Jesus. To round it out, he called back to an early bit of his about eating people with disabilities.
“I say that, that gets a reaction, and I know it’s going to. And I relish that, I look forward to it,” he said, because comedy can get people to consider things from a new perspective.
“I can continue the thought and get you to understand why, actually, that thing that you were offended at, that thing made you gasp… maybe there’s some logic to it.”
When considering what jokes belong in an hour together, whether goofy or grounded, Cross said he considers “what flows” more than thematic cohesion.
“If there is kind of a thread or a theme, that’s just something that presents itself. I never sit down and go, ‘How can I talk about the inhumanity of man?’ You know, it’s not that kind of thing.”
Ultimately, the audience’s reaction is his main metric when it comes to cutting and refining jokes, he said.
Cross’ esteem for audience feedback doesn’t carry over in quite the same way to a social media audience. He said he never considers the potential for a joke to become a “soundbite” or “clip online,” and he’s suffered for it.
“All the folks from my PR can tell you, pulling clips is very difficult from any of my specials,” Cross chuckled, extending a hand toward his publicist.
Given his extended storytelling style, it would be “futile” for him to try to write for social media, he said. Pulling a short clip that includes the context needed to understand it is difficult, and even then, he would need to find one that’s not too “saucy.”
Cross acknowledged the growing popularity of comedians who get their start on social media, which some comics would brand a “shortcut.” He said he’s not a f
