In the past decade, there may have been no individual that took more risks and acted like they did not care what any on either side of the media or entertainment industry thought of them than provocative comedian Bill Burr. Hailing from Massachusetts, Burr has acted and participated in some of the industry's most popular programs, such as Dave Chappelle's The Chappelle Show and Breaking Bad, two of the most influential and successful television shows of all time in two different genres. From there, Burr exploded on the scene with his stand-up specials on Comedy Central, Netflix, and HBO.

The way Burr succeeded on these networks and shows was his willingness to take risks on stage with the material he covered. Burr would joke about death, murder, race, radical feminism, and even touchy subjects like domestic violence. With the edge, audiences consistently praised him for his uncaring attitude, while Burr would lambast his own audiences when they groaned or thought he had gone too far with one of his sets. Burr, along with comedians such as Louis C.K. and Patrice O'Neal, were vaunted as some of the edgiest comedians on the planet and, therefore, some of the best and most influential of their era.

Connecting Burr's edginess back to the political arena is easy, given his media appearances nearly a decade ago. When now-47th President Donald Trump launched his campaign for the 2016 Republican nomination back in 2015, Burr was one of the very few members of Hollywood to speak in favor of a lot of the things Trump was saying. In an appearance on Conan O'Brien's Conan, Burr stated, "I mean, I have enjoyed... all the stuff that he's been saying. I hope more politicians will at least say what they were thinking."

Burr even went on to criticize former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton, accusing her of attending "Bilderberg meetings" and saying she could not relate to the typical voter because Clinton "goes out on TV and she is talking to people who drive snow plows like she can relate to them."  This appearance continued bolstering Burr's reputation as a comedian who goes against the grain and establishment of Hollywood and mainstream media and even earned him some Republican praise for his willingness to treat his kind with the volition that they deserved for painting Trump as a demagogue.

Today, unfortunately, things are different as to Burr's reputation as the anti-establishment and anti-politically correct comedian that America, from all political factions, had grown to love. During Trump's first presidency, it was nothing too serious besides a shift to joining the rest of the crowd in mocking Trump's mannerisms and behavior like everyone else in Hollywood did. Although disappointing in light of his previous praise, this was no real surprise.

However, things are different now. Burr, who was once an edgy, middle-of-the-road comedian that pushed the limits of political correctness, has now become a mere shadow of his former self. His once sharp and daring humor has been replaced by a more mainstream, politically correct tone. In appearances on The View and Saturday Night Live, Burr called President Trump a "bigoted lunatic" and said that Elon Musk was going to "trash the planet."

Since the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Burr has continued to praise his assassin, Luigi Mangione. On multiple occasions, he has called for the release of Mangione from prison, joked about the murder he committed, and even defended his comments to red carpet reporters at the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize event about how they should not care what Burr had to say in general, even though he is the one who interjected himself into the topic unprompted. This shift has left many of his fans feeling disillusioned and disappointed.

The same man who annihilated the premise of First Ladies of the White House having a say in politics is now agreeing with Joy Behar about Elon Musk's fascism and the "orange man bad" philosophy. The shows Burr used to despise appearing on and would dread having to spend his time on, he now embraces and wears a blazer to seem normal to the hosts of said programs.

He is now a shill for the progressive left, mainstream media, and the Hollywood elite. As the rest of the entertainment industry embraces comedians like Shane Gillis, who makes fun of all aisles of the political realm, Burr has chosen to take a different path. Instead, he will forever be known as the anti-PC comedian who sold out to Hollywood. His alignment with the progressive left represents a stark departure from his previous anti-establishment stance, leaving many of his fans feeling betrayed.

Bill Burr has suffered one of the most dramatic and disappointing downfalls in the history of stand-up comedy, and the entertainment world is worse off for it.