Andrew Santino appears to be in damage control mode, and the comedy community has taken notice.
During a recent appearance on Theo Von’s podcast, Santino called for comedians to stop attacking each other, lamenting the “infighting” and declaring he doesn’t understand why comics take shots at one another.
The problem? Santino was doing exactly that not too long ago.
According to sources, the shift in tone seems conveniently timed. Santino has faced significant backlash for performing at Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh comedy festival. Additionally, Andrew Schulz recently called him out publicly, attempting to create friction between Santino and both Joe Rogan and Bobby Lee. Suddenly, the comedian who was previously comfortable making jokes about the “Rogan sphere” is advocating for a comedy ceasefire.
The hypocrisy becomes most apparent when examining Santino’s past behavior. He previously had Marc Maron on his “Bad Friends” podcast shortly after Maron’s special dropped, where Maron made jokes about Theo Von and other comedians.
Rather than pushing back, Santino encouraged the trash talk, with that episode becoming one of the most comedian-bashing conversations during Maron’s promotional tour. Now, months later, Santino acts bewildered that anyone would engage in such behavior.
On Theo’s podcast, Santino specifically addressed Maron’s joke about Von, saying he didn’t understand that “kind of approach” and suggesting Maron should have asked permission first. Yet when Maron was sitting across from him months earlier, Santino had no problem letting him go off about other comedians, likely knowing it would generate attention and potentially upset people in Rogan’s circle.
The timing of Santino’s newfound peace-seeking mission is telling. With Schulz publicly questioning his loyalty and the Riyadh festival controversy intensifying scrutiny on participating comedians, Santino seems eager to de-escalate tensions.
He’s playing both sides, a strategy that worked until the consequences caught up with him.
What makes this particularly awkward is how transparent the pivot appears. Santino went from someone comfortable ribbing the Rogan sphere to someone desperately trying to smooth things over and position himself above the fray.
