Just seven short years ago, the anonymous, satirical Joel-Shmo Joel McHale was quietly hosting his sharp entertainment show THE SOUP on E! network. He was content with his cult following, limited budget, uninspiring interns and admitted (or modestly disregarded) embarrassing paycheck.
Then you told your friends about THE SOUP; about the smartest weave remark he made about everyone’s most hated talk show quack. Your friends’ moms’ couldn’t believe how this relative nobody was speaking his mind. Hell, he was speaking for a vast majority of the country. He was a man of the people. Then a YouTube video of his latest bit circulated around your workplace. You followed him on Twitter. And then E! began airing the show four times a day. The Joel McHale Effect.
The Joel McHale Effect. When a person becomes so relatable, savvy, and/or charming that not only do you want to listen to him burn well-known Hollywood villains for their wrongdoings but you would also like to take him out for a beer. After all, he has proven he is a man of the people.
Things started changing. Bigger, more powerful heads turned. Influential persuasion of three well-known letters and he was in. This alpha male was getting his own sitcom on a leading network. NBC beat E! three to one in letters.
And here’s the tricky part. With his very own show, (ranking above Chevy Chase, no less) this man would now have to make appearances on talk shows to promote it. Sitting face-to-face and shaking hands with the very individuals he had been mocking for years. And millions of viewers seemed to think he did a bang-up job of pinpointing their flaws. These hosts were not exactly pleased to be meeting their devil. And Joel, with all his charm, breezed in and convinced them that they were in on the joke.
So what now? Is he still our fearless leader or has he gone soft? Sure, THE SOUP still airs at its normal time, with its lacking budget and uninspiring interns but the host just starred in Spy Kids 4. He wears a thick layer of magenta lipstick for every episode of Community. The Kardashians are a welcome interruption to his facetious monologue. He sang at the Emmys.
This can hardly be the same guy. Joel was the typical bitter outsider and after years of taunting his specimens, they invited him to the “cool table” in the cafeteria! And, on top of that, it’s hardly fair. Most of America sits at home watching the latest TV drivel and for once they had a voice. But now that voice has faded into the wispy tones of the rest of Hollywood. Why should this McHale go on leading a happy personal life like the rest of us while also experiencing fame and fortune? Patterns show that starlets’ lives fall apart faster than a house hit by a hurricane. But certainly not our man of the people.
This proves, if nothing else, that once your face makes it onto our screens, you are our newest, most brilliant god. We will listen and obey and take your satire as scripture. The blinded attention given solely to you for twenty-four minutes of our day turns into a +Follow which then turns into forking over $11.50 at the box office to see some painful movie about adolescent spies.
This spoof commercial was part of McHale’s earliest work on Seattle’s own Saturday Night Live of sorts, ALMOST LIVE! If his initial ambitions were to bring sarcastic and deadpan humor to the masses, 15 years later he has done just that.
Mimi
