Craig Ferguson opens up about Britney Spears’ 2007 joke Clip: WATCH

In light of recent New York Times documentary Coaching Britney Spears, an old late-night clip made the rounds on Twitter. It’s Craig Ferguson on his CBS Late show in 2007, delivering a monologue to his studio audience. In the clip, Ferguson sees a trend in comedy that we’ve all since identified as ‘punch’, but which in 2007 still represented the dominant tone of mainstream humor and celebrity news coverage. “I had similar feelings when I watched America’s Funniest House Videos. You would laugh at the falling child, then you would go Wait a minute, put down the damn camera and help your kid!“ The audience laughs; he keeps on. “I think were sort of hold the camera, and people fall apart. People are dying. This Anna Nicole Smith, she’s dead. The audience laughs again. “No, this is not a joke. It stops being funny. The clip is dated February 20, 2007, four days after Britney Spears shaved her head amid a very public crisis. Ferguson goes on to state that he believes comedy should aim to attack “the assets” rather than the vulnerable and the suffering:

I’m starting to feel uncomfortable making fun of these people. For me, comedy must have a feeling of joy. They should be artists attacking powerful people. Attack the politicians, the Trumps and the blowhards. Go after them. We should not attack the vulnerable. It is totally a mea culpa; it’s just for me. I think my goal has shifted a bit recently. I want to change it a bit. So tonight, no jokes about Britney Spears.

This clip is taken from a larger monologue in which Ferguson speaks candidly about his own struggles with alcoholism and sobriety. You can watch the full thing below.