Adam Carolla: Why do NFL games and the Grammys need to be politicized?

For comedian Adam Carolla — who performs at Seattle’s Moore Theatre this Thursday — there was no question that he would remain on the straight and narrow path once hitting fame.

Carolla credits his age — he was in his early 30s by the time he reached success — as well as his humble beginnings for the reason that he never went off the deep end.

“By the time I got to show business, by the time I had any success at all, by the time I had made a nickel, I was already permanently humbled by my upbringing, my parents, my past, all the horrible jobs I had,” he said to KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson.

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He also pointed out that his circle included people like Dr. Drew and Jimmy Kimmel, “who have a mentality of schoolteacher meets an accountant meets an airline pilot.”

Switching gears to discuss current hot topics, Carolla said that he does not see why every major event, from Aretha Franklin’s funeral to the Miss America competition, has to be politicized.

“The notion that every time there’s a hot mic and it’s open, you have to lean into it and express yourself politically is kind of getting old for anyone who’s at the event who wants to just enjoy the event,” he said.

Events like the Grammys and NFL games, he said, should be an escape from politics, and turning them into a political platform changes the experience.

“If you interrupt it with political rhetoric, it is taking away from what it is I am trying to do — so if I’d like to watch an NFL game, I’d like to watch an NFL game because I don’t want to think about politics for a few hours on a weekend,” he said. “And if I want to watch the Grammys, it’s because I don’t want to think about this.”

He compared it to a host at the Cheesecake Factory calling, “Johnson — party of four” into the microphone, and then using the opportunity of having people’s attention to shout out an insult aimed at President Trump.

Similarly, he said, people should not try to look for political drama in non-political events, such as Serena Williams accusing an umpire of sexism at the US Open. He pointed out that he has 12-year-old twins, a girl and a boy, whom he disciplines purely on the basis of behavior. He happens to discipline the girl more, he said, but that is because she steps out of line more often.

“If she called it sexist, it would be impossible to discipline her — there’s just a set of rules,” he said. “Now, if I disciplined her constantly, and never disciplined him and said, ‘It’s because you’re a girl,’ then it is sexist.”

Next up for Carolla is the release of his new film, “No Safe Spaces” in the spring.  The film, created by Carolla and radio talk show host Dennis Prager, examines the lack of tolerance on college campuses for freedom of speech, posing the theory that so called “diversity-embracing” students actually have an acceptance for only one type of political viewpoint.

“It’s really strong, there’s lots of interesting voices in it from the right and the left, and everyone is giving their take on the same subject,” Carolla said.

Adam Carolla will give a performance at the Moore Theatre this Thursday, Sept. 13, at 8 p.m. For tickets, click here.

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