Author: Joe Toplyn
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Joke About Trump and Mother’s Day
The joke: It’s Mother’s Day. But President Trump told Melania he couldn’t give her a card because the IRS is auditing it. How I wrote it: The topic of Mother’s Day drew my focus because holidays tend to have lots of associations that can be used to create punch lines. To write this joke I…
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Joke About Woody Allen’s Memoir
The joke: A New York Times report says that multiple publishers rejected Woody Allen’s memoir. Woody Allen defended the book, calling it “a touching children’s story.” How I wrote it: I went with my Punch Line Maker #4: Find a play on words in the topic. This punch line uses wordplay to link an association…
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Joke About Russia and N. Korea
The joke: For the first time ever, Vladimir Putin will be meeting Kim Jong Un. It’s pretty cool. They’re meeting at a fancy hotel so the reservation will read “Putin Un, the Ritz.” How I wrote it: I gravitated toward this news item because the handles “Vladimir Putin” and “Kim Jong Un” both have a…
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Joke About Measles at Google
The joke: A worker who visited Google’s headquarters has been diagnosed with measles. And apparently it’s spreading. Now the Google logo has 37 red Os. How I wrote it: The original news headline that caught my eye was something like “Measles reported at Google’s Silicon Valley headquarters.” The two most promising topic handles seemed to…
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Joke About the Bezos Divorce
The joke: Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has finalized his divorce. And this is interesting…Amazon says that customers who liked the Bezos divorce also liked Nicolas Cage’s divorce. How I wrote it: The original news item attracted my attention because it had several possible handles with lots of associations, like “Amazon,” “divorce,” “$150 billion,” and “the…
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Joke About Jussie Smollett
The joke: Jussie Smollett did not win Best Supporting Actor at the NAACP Image Awards. On the plus side, the story about his attack did win an Imaginary Award. How I wrote it: I picked this topic to write a joke about because the mass media are still covering the Jussie Smollett controversy enthusiastically. That’s…
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Joke About Deadly Soft Drinks
The joke: A new study says drinking sugar-sweetened beverages increases the risk of death. That’s why they’re renaming those soft drinks Coca-Coma, Mountain Doom, and Dr. Reaper. How I wrote it: That news item caught my eye because it has two handles with lots of associations, “sugar-sweetened beverages” and “death.” To write the rest of…
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Joke About Pi Day
The joke:It’s March 14, Pi Day. To celebrate, a USC athletic coach took a bribe of 3.14 million dollars. How I wrote it:The topic of Pi Day caught my eye because it promised to be a fertile topic for joke writing. That’s because pi, the number 3.14…, has a lot of associations that can be…
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Joke About a Fugitive Emu
Seup: Pennsylvania authorities corral fugitive emu Punch line: Bail was set at only $500, as the suspect isn’t considered a flight risk. Writer: Daniel Prince Joe’s analysis of the joke