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Ferguson Defends Britney, Urges Comedy Punch Up, Not Down

6/8/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Ferguson gave a 2007 monologue defending Britney Spears because he feared CBS would fire him and not renew his contract.
He said comedy should punch up at powerful people rather than target the vulnerable.
He cited U.S. President Donald Trump as a powerful example and refused jokes about Spears’s shaved head and one-day rehab stay, calling them exploitative.
Ferguson now hosts American On Purpose, which airs Saturday nights on CNN.

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Story summary

Ferguson gave a 2007 monologue defending Britney Spears because he feared CBS would fire him and not renew his contract.
He said comedy should punch up at powerful people rather than target the vulnerable.
He cited U.S. President Donald Trump as a powerful example and refused jokes about Spears’s shaved head and one-day rehab stay, calling them exploitative.
Ferguson now hosts American On Purpose, which airs Saturday nights on CNN.