Political leaders are becoming their own satire
A conversation with Armando Iannucci, satirist, writer and director. Interviewer: Vazha Tavberidze
VAZHA TAVBERIDZE: It surely must be a bountiful time to be a satirist, in this age of madness…
ARMANDO IANNUCCI: You know, you sort of want to be out of a job, really. It’s far better that the world functions well, rather than so badly that the only thing you can do is say something entertaining about how bad it’s gotten. And as we’ve discussed many times, the people in power have become their own satire, because they all believe in entertainment. It’s all about attention-seeking and making the headlines.
July 8, 2025 -
Armando Iannucci
Vazha Tavberidze
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InterviewsIssue 4 2025Magazine
On that last point – political leaders becoming their own caricatures – has that made your job harder? Are there moments when you think, “this is just too ridiculous to satirize, what more could I do”?
Sometimes, yes. Usually, comedy comes from exaggerating something. But now, the people themselves are already exaggerations. They’ve done your job for you. That forces you to think again – how do I illustrate what’s annoying me, or confusing me, or making me angry? Once you identify what you’re emotionally reacting to, that’s the thing you look at. You start noticing that politicians now try to sound like they’re not politicians. They present themselves as outsiders, and non-mainstream: “Vote for me because I’m not like them, the others.” Yet, when you study their speeches, you realize they’re using the same tricks as the ones they claim to be different from, ones they are so readily dismissing. The satisfaction, if that’s the right word, comes not from fictional exaggeration, because they already do that. It’s more about forensically looking at what is the trick they’re trying to pull off in that exaggeration? What are they trying to avoid? What is it they don’t want us to think about?
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