Holey Moley: Channel 7 commentator Rob Riggle slams cancel culture

Comedian Rob Riggle, who will be gracing Australian screens as a part of the new Holey Moley commentary team, believes comedians are in danger of losing their jobs to the angry mob.

Cancel culture and a fear of pushing boundaries has changed the comedy scene for the worse since US funnyman Rob Riggle first took to the stage more than 20 years ago.

Riggle, who along with Matt Shirvington is a ‘commentator’ on Channel 7’s new extreme mini-golf series Holey Moley, believes there is now a real danger of comedians losing their livelihood if they make the mistake of upsetting the angry mob.

“Throughout my lifetime, comedy has always pushed people’s buttons, it always challenged people and always said the politically incorrect thing — that’s what made it so taboo, and that’s what made it so fun,” he says. “The most that would happen to a comedian is they get labelled a ‘bad girl’ or a ‘bad boy’, you know ‘ooh, they’re dangerous’.”

Commentators Matt Shirvington and Rob Riggle with host Sonia Kruger. Picture: Channel 7

But the advent of social media and the recent trend of riled-up netizens piling on to create a frenzy and ‘cancel’ those who have upset their sensibilities means comedians now think twice about what they say while on stage or writing for the screen.

“Now people try to cancel you — they try to make it so that you can’t have a living anymore — and that’s different. That’s a different kind of ballgame,” Riggle says. “That’s real oppression and real censorship and real fear. And that’s unfortunate because that’s not a place I know, a world I want to live in.”

The easily recognisable Riggle is a character actor who has appeared in some of the biggest comedies of the past decade including Step Brothers, The Hangover, Dumb & Dumber and 21 Jump Street.

He made a name for himself doing time on Saturday Night Live before joining John Stewart’s The Daily Show as a correspondent.

But what makes Riggle stand out in the world of comedy is that he did much of this while also serving in the US Marine Corp for 23 years — nine years in active service and 14 as a reservist. The 50-year-old, who rose to the senior rank of lieutenant colonel, served in Liberia, Kosovo and Afghanistan.

There are stories of Riggle running between rehearsals at NBC’s 30 Rock headquarter’s and the Marine Corp office in New York where he worked as a public affairs officer.

While on The Daily Show he visited Iraq where he interviewed many of his fellow Marines, but also performed his stand-up for the troops.

The American comedian is perfectly suited opposite Shirvo in the commentary box.

Riggle acknowledges the two worlds are very far apart but says he didn’t change personality when he was in uniform.

”Most of the places I was at I was either a lieutenant, a captain or a major so I was always responsible for a certain group of Marines and always wanted to be as proficient and responsible as I could, but I never let it affect my personality,” he says. “I am who I am. and that’s usually a pretty light-hearted guy who sees the funny in a lot of things and just tries to share a smile whenever possible.”

Riggle retired from the Marines, with a cabinet full of medals, in 2013 and his attention shifted solely to comedy.

One of the down sides when your job is to make people laugh is that people always expect you to be ‘on’, always want you to deliver the goods, even when you’re not on the clock.

But that just isn’t feasible, even if some of his peers might try.

“It’s almost impossible to sustain 24/7 comedy,” Riggle says. “I know comedians who can’t turn it off and that’s annoying as hell. The only person I knew that could keep it on and you didn’t mind was Robin Williams.”

Riggle served in the US Marine Corp for 23 years. Picture: Paul A. Broben

But Riggle turns it on for Holey Moley, his hilarious quips the perfect match for the more serious — but perfectly suited sidekick — Shirvington.

Of course when you’re dealing with balls and holes and you’re a comedian, surely it’s hard not to take it to places you probably shouldn’t?

“Absolutely — there is so much innuendo and so many puns and just so many different things that you want to say,” he laughs, explaining that if he ever did briefly forget the action-packed Sonia Kruger-hosted show was aimed at families, they would have to re-shoot the commentary to fit the rating — but he might have a solution.

“Holy Moley After Hours, I’m down for that!” he laughs.

HOLEY MOLEY, CHANNEL 7, STARTS 7.30PM FEBRUARY 1