Zach Galifianakis has taken a hard stance against comedians he believes abandon one of comedy’s main duties whenever they interview Donald Trump.

The comedian argued that comics should make powerful figures uncomfortable, not give them an easy platform. He also reflected on his own interview with Hillary Clinton, revealing that her team asked him not to bring up her email scandal, but he refused to back down.

While several late-night shows have largely kept Trump at a distance, the president has appeared on comedy-led podcasts, including Andrew Schulz’s “Flagrant.”

Zach Galifianakis Praised For Past Interview With Obama

Galifianakis joined Conan O’Brien on his “Conan Needs A Friend” podcast, where he criticized comedians who interview powerful public figures but avoid asking difficult questions. He argued that those comics do not seem to understand what comedy is meant to do in those moments.

Both comedians agreed that interviewing public figures should involve unsettling them, poking fun at their vulnerabilities, and pushing them to a place where they can laugh at themselves.

O’Brien brought up Galifianakis’ “Between Two Ferns” interview with Obama, noting how “rude” he was to the former president. The former late-night host called the exchange “hilarious” and added that he had rarely seen anyone speak to a sitting or former head of state in that manner.

Galifianakis Says Trump-Friendly Comics Are ‘Not Doing Their Job’

Galifianakis then took a swipe at fellow comedians who, in his view, “suck up” to the president when given the chance to interview him, per Fox News Digital.

“Podcasters that have had the president on now, they don’t do their court jester…they don’t do it. They just suck up to him,” the 56-year-old actor said. “So, the comedians that are podcasters that have had Trump on, they’re not doing their job.”

He went on to explain that comedians are supposed to challenge powerful people rather than make them comfortable.

“That’s not the job of a comedian, you are to challenge, you are to make uncomfortable,” Galifianakis continued. “You are not to sit there and fake laugh… that is not the job of the court jester. Period.”

Trump Was Ridiculed On ‘Flagrant’

While Galifianakis did not name every comedian he had in mind, one of Trump’s most talked-about podcast appearances came during the 2024 campaign cycle, when he joined comedians Schulz and Akaash Singh on “Flagrant.”

At one point, Singh asked the then-Republican nominee who he believed was responsible for the assassination attempt he had survived at the time.

“You know, I do a thing called the weave,” Trump began. “And there are those who are fair that say, ‘This guy is so genius,’ and then others would say, ‘Oh, he rambled.’ I don’t ramble.”

Singh pressed him with follow-up questions, but Trump appeared to keep circling the point without giving a direct answer. Eventually, Singh said, “Yeah, you really weaved your way out of answering my question. Twice!”

Schulz Defended His Approach To Interviewing Trump

However, in a 2025 interview with The New York Times, Schulz appeared to acknowledge that he did not “do the necessary work” of asking Trump difficult questions, explaining that he did not think it was “necessary.”

“I don’t know what you think the goal of journalism is specifically,” he said when asked if he felt he had asked Trump tough questions. “Is it to ask the things you’re curious about? Do you have a responsibility for your audience within The New York Times? Do you have a responsibility for the New York Times audience? Are you responsible for people in Dubai? China? Japan?”

Schulz went on to argue that any interviewer is bound to disappoint some section of the audience, depending on what they choose to ask.

Zach Galifianakis Recounts Hillary Clinton Email Pushback

In his conversation with O’Brien, Galifianakis also recalled the time he was scheduled to interview Hillary Clinton, only for her team to ask him to avoid bringing up her email scandal.

Galifianakis said he refused, making it clear that he was fine with the interview not happening if it meant being told what he could or could not do on his own show. According to him, Clinton’s team eventually folded.

O’Brien connected that moment to a larger point about why powerful people and politicians often benefit from showing they can laugh at themselves.

“I see this all the time, people not understanding that if they go to the supposedly vulnerable place, and have a sense of humor about it, it is magical for them,” he said.