What did we do to deserve Amber Ruffin? The writer and breakout star of Late Night with Seth Meyers is consistently one of the funniest people in late night, whether she’s doing the segment “Jokes Seth Can’t Tell” with fellow writer Jenny Hagel or going solo, like her brilliant post-election bit, “Join the Fun.”
In the white male dominated world of late night talk shows, Ruffin stands out as a fresh, desperately needed voice, providing a perspective that these types of shows rarely feature. Her latest segment, “Amber Ruffin Remakes Art Created by Problematic Men,” features Ruffin remaking problematic faves starring herself. In the clip, she remakes Chris Brown’s “Run It!” to “Fun It!” takes over for Kevin Spacey in House of Cards, and casts herself as a stammering Woody Allen stand-in.
Ruffin also takes aim at Bill Cosby, Picasso, and the plethora of stand up comics who can’t seem to wrap their heads around consent. Speaking of problematic comedians, can anyone explain to me why Michael Che and Colin Jost are hosting the Emmys when Ruffin would be a much stronger host? Give this woman her own damn show already!
There’s something satisfying about watching Ruffin inhabit all these roles, especially when there are plenty of bad men who skate away from charges and accusations with little damage to their reputations. We all have our problematic faves, and that’s totally okay. But instead of revisiting those faves, I’d rather turn my eye towards the future and support the work done by relevant, non-garbage people. There are enough talented artists and entertainers out there more worthy of our time and our dollars.
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