Episode 46: The Limits of Comedy and Free Speech (with Jess Salomon)

Doctor Vs Comedian

Today on a special episode, the guys discuss the case of Mike Ward, who was accused of breaching the limits of free speech when he mocked a disabled singer named Jeremy Gabriel (“Petit Jeremy")...a case that went all the way up to the Supreme Court of Canada. They are joined by their special guest comedian and lawyer Jess Salomon (The Tonight Show, Comedians vs The News). After briefly chatting about Jess’ experiences with the Omicron variant, Jess and Ali disclose that they do know Mike Ward personally from the comedy world. Then they go over the facts of the case and summarize Mike’s joke. Asif then takes a short detour to discuss Treacher Collins Syndrome, the disease which Jeremy was afflicted with. Jess then summarizes the facts of the case and the Supreme Court Decision which was a 5-4 decision in favour of Mike Ward. Jess and Ali discuss the limits of free speech and comedy and how things boil down to “what is the crux of the joke?”.

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Music courtesy of Wataboi and 8er41 from Pixabay

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Show Notes:

• Mike Ward’s joke:
• Mike Ward on Joe Rogan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8reKTTTJZlE
• Comedian who mocked disabled child singer did not breach limits of free speech: Supreme Court: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mike-ward-scc-j%C3%A9r%C3%A9my-gabriel-1.6229032
• Comedian and Lawyer Explains Why the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal’s Finding Against Mike Ward Should Offend You: https://theinterrobang.com/comedian-lawyer-explains-canadian-human-rights-tribunals-finding-mike-ward-offend/