Jordan Karlesson
Bill Burr is splitting the Internet again. A bit about abortion in his latest comedy special, Live at Red Rocks, is tearing up social media. But, as usual, anyone shocked over the always-hilarious, always-controversial comedian is clearly not a fan.
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In his latest special, Bill Burr closes by saying: “I know I said I lot of divisive sh– here tonight. So, before I get out of here, let’s bring the room together. It’s a very divisive time. Everyone wants to feel safe. Let’s do a nice, normal, mainstream topic so everybody can drive home happy, no fights. All right? Sound good? All right, great. Let’s talk abortion.”
Burr then apologizes in advance for what he’s about to say. He knows it’ll rile up some people on both sides of the abortion debate.
The Bit
“Everybody has an opinion,” he said. “As do I. And I apologize that you’re going to have to listen to mine. Because — I’m going to tell you right now I have a really weird take on abortion. … I’m 100 percent pro-choice, always have been. … Pro-choice always made sense to me, because I don’t like people telling me what to do.”
He qualified: “However, I still think you’re killing a baby. See? That’s where it gets weird.”
Burr stated that he doesn’t agree with those who believe a fetus is not an embryo.
“That’d be like if I was making a cake,” he began. “I poured some batter in a pan. And I put it in the oven. And then five minutes later, you came by and grabbed the pan and threw it across the floor. … I went, ‘… You just ruined my birthday cake!’ And then you were like, ‘Well, that wasn’t a cake yet.’ It’s like, ‘Well, it would’ve been. If you didn’t do what you just did, it would’ve been a cake in 50 minutes. Something happened to that cake, you cake-murdering son of a b—-!’”
He added: “Before all you pro-life people get excited, I think it’s great all you people are killing your babies. Help Mother Nature out. There’s too many of us. It’s been 130 degrees out. Animals are going extinct. There’s plastic in the … ocean. We don’t need any more … humans. And … if you’re honest with yourself, have you done anything great with your life? … No. So what are the odds you’re going to make a great person?”
Bill Burr (And Comedy)’s Prior “Offenses”
While that might sound offensive to some, Netflix released Bill Burr: Live at Red Rocks on July 12. That’s quite a time delay for quick-fingered Twitter. It’s an even slower response by the media reporting on the “news” as if the special just aired.
For more of Burr’s controversial comments on population control, check out his 2014 special, I’m Sorry You Feel That Way. Or pretty much any episode of the Monday Morning Podcast that he launched in May 2007.
Additionally, anyone decrying Bill Burr as “another Hollywood liberal” clearly didn’t watch the rest of the special. In it, the comedian also rails against the WNBA and recalls a run-in with a lesbian in New York. Anyone who watches those bits will know he likes getting a rise from people regardless of political stripe.
Lastly, any social media user or media outlet that appears shocked by Bill Burr using the cake metaphor isn’t well-versed in comedy at large.
Years ago, Louis CK made very similar comments in his special 2017.
In fact, back in October 1994, NBC aired an episode of Seinfeld that made a virtually identical comparison as Burr. In The Couch. Italian restaurant owner Poppie argues with Kramer over whether a hunk of dough is a “pizza.”
Watch the exchange for yourself:
