The normally mild-mannered comedian Jim Gaffigan surprised Twitter users last week after the Republican National Convention when he embarked on an uncharacteristically profane diatribe against President Donald Trump and his enablers.
Gaffigan—whose comedy often revolves around his life as a midwestern Catholic with five children—rarely comments on politics, but that went out the window when he decried Trump as a "crook and a con man."
Days after his rant, Gaffigan took to Facebook to elaborate on what motivated it and why he felt compelled to take a side.
Gaffigan said the rant was "liberating":
"There was a time when civil political disagreement took place, even if you vehemently disagreed. It's like after Thanksgiving 2016 we all decided to let the crazy relative decide the discourse and context of every argument. It was refreshing to let four years of frustration boil over and offer some straight talk on what Trump has done to our country or our democracy."
He spoke further on the ubiquity of bots and conspiracy theorists on Twitter, and conceded that he likely wouldn't sway any voters.
Then—apologizing to his wife for the profanity—he offered a new perspective to his fans who still considered voting for another four years of Trump:
"I'm still digesting the whole experience (and still apologizing to my wife, Jeannie, for my profanity) but if you are still on the fence I encourage you to vote not for who I want you to vote for but for who your grandchildren would be proud you f---ing voted for. (Sorry, Jeannie.)"
People applauded Gaffigan's post.
Some are more than happy to see this new side of the comedian.
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