Comedian Jim Jefferies on his Autism Diagnosis and Vaccines

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Did any of you watch his show Legit on FX?

I've found the Freedumb show on Youtube and just watched the part about autism. But how do we know he's been diagnosed for real and that it's not just a fictional monologue?

If Jim Jefferies criticizes Jenny McCarthy because she is Jenny McCarthy (and nothing else), shouldn't he be considered similarly? After all, he works as a comedian, too. And, we certainly don't expect a Mensa member to come from him, now do we? I believe that the audience was probably as uncomfortable about the skit as I was because he seemed to include himself unwittingly in his criticisms. Now, it seems to me, we either see him as much a flawed figure as he describes McCarthy, or she becomes suddenly at least as insightful as he is.

Last edited by AspieUtah on 06 Aug 2016, 8:23 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Youtube video of just the segment in question

Frankly, there are NO comedians in this day and age that I consider to be funny.

My family worships at the alter of stand up. When I go see performances it's almost always a comedy club or a comedian at a venue.

I'm thrilled Netflix gave him two specials and a series. We had a Jefferies mini marathon at my place tonight. Watch both specials and parts of the series. The first time I watch the his first special, it was meh. Didn't hate it. Wouldn't spend the money to go see him. (that was before this new special).

He works blue, but I like Hicks, Geraldo, Oswalt, Black, Pryor, Kinison, Maron, Sykes, Carlin...So that isn't an issue with me. Someone throwing out c*nt isn't going to make me clutch my pearls.

It was all Silverman, Schumer, Leary, Cook and Cummings not funny. I wouldn't go out and see them if I had the time AND free tickets. The autism bit was okay. It wasn't hilarious or awful. I don't even mind "weird". I can enjoy Dmitri Martin and Mitch Hedberg.

My one friend said Jefferies timing and pace is funky. He said that after the first special. That was before the second one was watched (where he talks about autism).

If some knows about stand up, what am I missing? I want to really like him, but feel like I spent four hours of my life I will never get back. Is he better live and the small screen doesn't do him justice?

Curious. Who would you spend your time and money on for a show? Can be living or dead. I was lucky to see Pryor and Carlin live, but there are more recent ones that put on a good show. Wanda Sykes was a really pleasant surprise. What a goddess.

Leslie Townes Hope (Bob)
Bob Newhart
Prof. Peter Schickele
John Cleese
Tim Allen (maybe)
Gerard Hoffnung
Benjamin Kubelski
Nathan Birmbaum
Gracie Allen
Don Rickles
Jackie Gleason
Dick van Dyke
Eddie Daniels
Fred Allen
The Marx Bros. (specifically Harpo, who was the sanest of the brothers)

If like the websites say that Einstein, Alan Turing, Bill Gates are autistic, then if there is a link to vaccines they should be encouraging parents to give them to kids if they can become geniuses.

I really like Rickles also, but nobody like him will ever come out again, people have been trained to get PTSD from humor like his

My favorite is Peter Sellers. I have been a big fan since I was a little kid, decades before he was retrodiagnosed as an aspie

I also don't find Jim Jefferies funny. I'm not a fan of the 'shock value' either. Recounting a story and throwing in a lot of swear words doesn't make it funny to me. It also doesn't help that in his popular rant about gun control he blamed one mass murder on the shooter being 'Aspergers as f**k'. We all know that Aspergers doesn't make a person violent.

Agree with you, there. I watched his Freedumb routine and found maybe a third of his material funny. But then I always did prefer Ellen Degeneres and Robin Williams and Monty Python.

So he is great white comedic hope? Hardly.
I don't find his standup style appealing. I get enough rude garbage speaking thrown at me in daily life. I am not going to pay in my time or by ticket to be barraged with more rude, crass, crude and vulgar talk with no realy use but shock value and "edge".

His show is stlyed like "louie" but lamer, added "realistic(as Barbie)" handicap-able people to be relevent and edgy and I am not buying the Oscar/Felix dynamic they are trying to rehash in such a tired way.
The translation of Oscar the free spirit teaching uptight roomate to chill. Nope Real life terms is a Self centered hedonist , rude arse becomes roomate with twitchy handicapped guy with an over responsible OLDER brother basket case in severe caregiver burnout.

Sensitive treatment. Meh. Only a movie of the week can really address the complex aspects. (Plus what the f*k on the last ep I ever was forced to sit all the way thru watched with killing a persons very cherished cat and then tossing in dumpster in front of a kid. What the ever living F!)
People who are the ones left responsible for handicapped relative are often uptight and they need breaks and help not "loosening up". I'll punch anyone that tells me to chill as I try to figure what my barely functioning under stress Aspie self needs to keep strict regime in order to care for a full autistic preteen and amputee adult on dialysis.
only my prisoners will be happy if I loosen up and let the inmates run the asylum. all funny til the eviction notice or cps arrives soon after "do what you want day"
nope. It don't fly for me. Too "brit" in a lot of it's humor as well. I like my horror and pain from alien sci fi. I prefer my daily shows to try and showcase better things about humanity or at least be humorous without being too artsy, political or r rated when possible.
I would not want that bozo to be the face of autism, thanks but no thanks

No one is mentioning Daryl Hannah. Wall Street Journal stated: Daryl Hannah has made headlines for opening up publicly about being autistic, a diagnosis she received as a child. There is an article about her experience as an Autistic woman in the Australian Womens Weekly.

I thought he was really brave for working that into his sketch! I think more comedians and actors who have ASD should talk about it (obviously many have it who aren't quite ready to make that step), because it's not weird or anything to be ashamed of.

If we knew everyone's ASD / NT status, we'd all be shocked. And in a good, accepting way.

I've been surfing comedy lately, and just hit on Jim's autism reveal. Like many "crying (inside) clowns," he helps me see the lighter side of my own life. It was interesting how everyone he knew confirmed the diagnosis - he was the last to know.
Re: Vaccines. These days, I think there are just far too many of them. The goal of a for-profit drug company is an expensive, sub-fatal complication. In my own case, my parents may well have noticed a withdrawal after I was vaccinated, but it would have been because my marginal trust in them had been shattered by the medical experience. Mother was on the spectrum, and did not believe in comforting children since quarantine always worked.