'I'm Not Going to Be Enslaved': Former SNL Star Takes Stand for Medical Freedom
Jim Breuer is best known for his slapstick-style comedy as a “Saturday Night Live” cast member in the late 1990s. In its heyday, SNL included such masterpieces as a rendition of “Oh Christmas Tree” with Breuer singing as Goat Boy.
Since those days, SNL has largely abandoned its pursuit of comedy in favor of social justice and progressive priorities. But not everyone is on board with the leftist agenda.
Although Breuer is no longer a member of the SNL cast, he still performs stand-up comedy in various locations around the country. On Friday, he made clear in an Facebook live video that those locations will not include venues that require audience members to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Breuer said he would be canceling previously scheduled dates in New Jersey and Michigan “due to the segregation of them forcing people to show up with vaccinations, to prove you’re vaccinated.”
“I know I’m going to sacrifice a lot of money, but I’m not going to be enslaved by the system or by money, and nor should anyone that wants to laugh or be entertained,” he said.
Breuer said he was indifferent to whether his audience members have been vaccinated and he believes it should be their choice.
While he is aware of the reality that he will most certainly receive backlash for his decision, he made clear that his opinion will not be changed by angry internet users.
“If you have anything else to say, I honestly don’t care,” the 54-year-old comic said. “So don’t leave comments going, ‘Oh, this is a good thing.’ I highly disagree with you, and I will always disagree with you.”
Choosing not to attend a comedy show is one thing; being unable to work is another. If the Biden administration has its way, a huge number of Americans will be forced to become vaccinated as a condition of employment.
President Joe Biden issued an order Thursday requiring any business with 100 or more employees to force the vaccine on all of them or show a negative test at least once a week. Those that refuse will be subject to a fine of up to $14,000 per infraction, according to The Washington Post.
Even though skipping a comedy show pales in comparison with losing a job, Breuer hopes his actions will have far-reaching effects.
“The last thing we need is segregation,” Breuer said. ” And if you try to segregate my audience or my following … I’m walking away.
“And I will play backyards, I will play venues that [are] not run by a monopoly that is shutting down and forcing these venues to do it.”
For Breuer, following his morals is much more important than any profit he could make, whether monetarily or in the field of public opinion.
“I’d rather go bankrupt and make a stance and not segregate,” he said.
Other performers have taken the opposite approach. According to HuffPost, comedian Patton Oswalt canceled shows in Florida and Utah because the venues were not requiring a vaccine or a negative COVID-19 test.
Just as it is Oswalt’s right to not perform at those venues, it is Breuer’s right to boycott venues that do require vaccines. Yet something tells me the left doesn’t see it that way.
“This is not about freedom or personal choice,” Biden said Thursday. “It’s about protecting yourself and those around you.”
“This is not about freedom or personal choice,” Joe Biden says when announcing new vaccine mandates for private companies. pic.twitter.com/Q5kpRtKatI
— America Rising (@AmericaRising) September 9, 2021
In reality, the fight to decide for yourself whether to be vaccinated is all about freedom and personal choice. The only way to preserve those things is to resist authoritarian mandates, and Breuer has taken a necessary first step toward that goal.
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