The modern world loves superlatives almost as much as it loves lists and yesterday the editors at Esquire banded together to treat their readers to a superlative-spewing, listicle-laced feature that counts down the 22 greatest jokes ever told. Of course, trying to scientifically evaluate something as subjective and ephemeral as a joke is a lost cause, so instead Esquire passed the task off to 22 current comedians whose opinions ranged from the smart, to the silly, to the WTF?
Highlights include comedians like Mike Birbiglia and Natasha Leggero finding unexpected common ground in their mutual appreciation for Mitch Hedberg’s subdued style and Hari Kondabolu giving a shout out to his writing partner for being able to fold the words “Neil De Grasse Tyson,” “champagne” and “fizzy tits” into a comprehensible one-liner. All jokes aside, the article is a quality pick-me-up because, honestly, who doesn’t want to watch Maria Bamford explain why her pick, the peekaboo, is so damn funny.