The air in Studio 8H was thick. It was November 2024, just days after an election that left half the country in a daze and the other half ready to gloat. Bill Burr stepped onto that stage, looking like a man who knew he was about to walk into a propeller.
Most people remember the 2020 set. You know the one—the "white women" speech that launched a thousand think pieces. But his return for the post-election episode in 2024 was a different beast entirely. It wasn't just about being "edgy." It was about a comedian trying to navigate a room that didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Honestly, the Bill Burr SNL monologue is basically a masterclass in how to piss off everyone at the same time while somehow still making a point.
What Actually Happened in the 2024 Monologue?
Burr didn't go for the jugular right away. He tried to "keep it light," or so he claimed. He started with stuff about the flu and crazy airline passengers. Standard observational comedy, right? Not really. Within minutes, he was making a joke about "walking by an Asian" while checking your mental Rolodex of who gave you a cough.
The room went cold. You could hear the audible shift in the audience.
But then he hit the election. He didn't do the "orange man bad" routine that the SNL crowd usually eats up. Instead, he turned the lens on the losing side. He told female politicians they needed to "whore it up a little." Yeah, he actually said that. He argued that you don't win on policy; you win by making a farmer in a swing state think he's got a shot.
The Contrast with 2020
In 2020, Burr’s main target was white women "hijacking" the woke movement. He talked about how they "swung their Gucci-booted feet over the fence of oppression" to get to the front of the line. People were livid.
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Fast forward to 2024, and the vibe was different. In 2020, he was a disruptor. In 2024, he felt like a guy trying to fix a broken engine with a hammer.
- 2020 Focus: Cancel culture, Pride Month (specifically why it's longer than Black History Month), and the role of white women in the patriarchy.
- 2024 Focus: Post-election autopsy, "ugly feminists," and why pantsuits are a losing strategy.
It’s easy to say he’s just a shock jock, but there’s a layer of self-loathing in his delivery that usually gets missed. He calls himself a "dumb guy" constantly. It’s his shield. If he's just a "Masshole" from the end of the bar, then you're the idiot for taking him seriously. Or at least, that's the play.
Why the Internet Lost Its Mind (Again)
The backlash was instant. On X (formerly Twitter), the clips started circulating before the show was even over. People called it "dated." They called it "sexist." Some critics from outlets like Cracked and The Guardian felt he missed the moment entirely. They wanted a Dave Chappelle-style "healing" or "profound" take.
Burr doesn't do "profound." He does "annoyed."
The "ugly women/feminists" comment was the big one. It felt like a joke from 1994, not 2024. But if you look at the YouTube comments or Reddit threads, his core fan base was cheering. They saw it as a refreshing break from the "sanitized" comedy of modern late-night TV.
That’s the divide. To some, he's a relic of a meaner era. To others, he's the only one telling the truth in a room full of phonies.
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The "Both Sides" Trap
Burr is a master of the "bait and switch." He’ll say something that makes the conservatives cheer—like mocking "woke" culture—and then immediately turn around and call Trump an "orange bigot." He leaves nobody with a comfortable place to sit.
During the 2024 set, he mocked the idea of being "scared" of the election results, basically telling the audience to get over themselves. It was a tough sell for a New York City crowd that was, quite literally, grieving.
The Mechanics of a Bill Burr Set
If you've ever listened to the Monday Morning Podcast, you know how he works. He rambles. He gets angry at his own thoughts. He’s a guy who’s clearly done the work on himself—he talks about therapy and his wife (Nia Renée Hill) all the time—but he still has that reflexive urge to poke the bear.
In the 2024 monologue, his timing felt a little off. Even he seemed to realize some of the bits weren't landing. He’d do a Shaq impression (which sounded more like Mitch Hedberg, let’s be real) just to find a rhythm again.
Why SNL Keeps Booking Him
Why would a show that is notoriously "liberal-leaning" keep bringing back a guy who calls their audience names? Because he gets numbers. The Bill Burr SNL monologue is a guaranteed viral moment.
SNL needs that tension. Without it, the show is just a bunch of theater kids agreeing with each other. Burr brings the "outside" into the studio. He brings the guy who works at the body shop in Quincy into the living rooms of Brooklyn hipsters.
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How to Watch and What to Look For
If you’re going back to watch the clips, pay attention to the silence. Most comedians panic when a room goes quiet. Burr leans into it. He feeds on the "oohs" and "ahhs" from the crowd.
Look for these specific moments in the 2024 monologue:
- The Asian comment: Watch his face right after he says it. He knows he lost them, and he almost seems to enjoy the uphill climb to get them back.
- The "Game Tape" bit: His breakdown of why Kamala Harris lost is brutal, regardless of whether you agree with his "whoring it up" premise.
- The ending: He wraps it up with a bit about Shaq and printer ink. It’s a total non-sequitur. It’s a classic "I’m done with this" move.
Actionable Takeaways for Comedy Fans
If you want to understand the Bill Burr SNL monologue phenomenon, you have to look past the headlines.
- Watch the full set, not just the clips. Context is everything with Burr. He often sets up a "bad" opinion just to tear it down three minutes later.
- Listen to the audience. You can hear exactly when he wins them over and when he loses them. It's a fascinating study in crowd control.
- Check out his podcast. If you want to know if he’s actually "hateful" or just playing a character, his long-form podcasting gives a much clearer picture of who he is as a person.
The reality is that Bill Burr isn't going to change. He’s going to keep being the loud guy at the bar. Whether that’s what America needs after an election is up for debate, but it’s definitely what makes for interesting television.
To dig deeper into the actual impact of these performances, compare the 2024 monologue side-by-side with his 2020 appearance. Notice how the targets shifted, but the "uncomfortable truth" strategy remained the same. You'll likely find that the outrage isn't about the jokes themselves, but about who is being allowed to laugh at them.