Comic and Trump Impressionist Matt Friend Tells Jim Acosta How MAGA Fan Flipped Out and Got Dragged Out of His Show
Comedian Matt Friend told Jim Acosta he busted out his impressions of President Donald Trump and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to deal with a MAGA disruptor at a recent show.
Friend, known for his satirical impressions of politicians like Trump and others, joined Acosta on The Jim Acosta Show where he recounted the story of a man at his comedy show wearing a MAGA hat and “sparkly jacket” becoming so unruly that he needed to be removed from the venue.
“Last night I was alerted by the manager of this club that there, he said, ‘someone’s fishy and suspicious,’ and I’m like, okay, I don’t know why you’re telling me this, I’m about to go on and perform, but okay,” Friend said. “So then I go on, then like a minute into it, this guy in a sparkly jacket and a red MAGA hat stands up and then he moves from the third row to the front row, clearly disturbing the show… and then he just starts kind of talking and I’m like, am I going to get Chris Rock/Will Smith slapped right now?”
Friend said he tried using humor to defuse the situation, going into his Trump impression and saying, “We’re going to get you out of here. We’re going to throw you out like a dog.”
The comedian said the man made him nervous by then reaching into his pockets. It turns out the man was reaching for pills.
“So he’s popping pills and then. You know, the guy’s just like kind of flipping me off, like raising his fist in the air. And then after a few minutes, I’m just basically like, you know what, we got to get you to the back or where you were sitting before. Like, you got to out of here,” Friend recalled.
He said the man became irate and asked if Friend wanted him “arrested.”
“It was such a whole ordeal. And then until he stopped, I actually took out my Mitch McConnell glasses and just froze. And I said, I’m going to just stop here,” Friend said, then impersonating McConnell based on infamous moments where he’s frozen up in press conferences in recent years.
“Just freeze the show, like Mitch McConnell,” Acosta said, laughing.
Friend said the man was eventually removed, but not for any political reasons.
“Doesn’t he understand this is comedy? Like, don’t people understand they go to a comedy show?” Acosta asked.
“Well, in addition, I made a clear point, which is I don’t wanna hear any bullshit of getting kicked out of a show because he’s a Republican,” Friend said. “If he was wearing a Harris Walz camouflage hat acting that way, I would’ve done the same goddamn thing.”
Friend went on to say he performed recently for a Florida crowd that was nearly 100% MAGA and it went over fine.
“The point is. Don’t be a psychopath and don’t interrupt shows,” he said. “People are going to try to make this partisan.”
“Don’t be a dick,” Acosta added.
Check out the exchange below:
MATT FRIEND: Last night I was alerted by the manager of this club that there — he said, “someone’s fishy and suspicious,” and I’m like, okay, I don’t know why you’re telling me this, I’m about to go on and perform, but okay. So then I go on, then like a minute into it, this guy in a sparkly jacket and a red MAGA hat stands up and then he moves from the third row to the front row, clearly disturbing the show, it’s all on tape and I’m gonna try to get it to you quickly. And then he just starts kind of talking and I’m like thinking, oh my God, am I gonna get Chris Rock, Will Smith slapped right now? What’s gonna happen? And then I’m just starting to kind of make jokes. I’m like, you’re like Marjorie Taylor Greene in the State of the Union, you know, interrupting.
JIM ACOSTA: That’s funny.
FRIEND: You’re like that old Democrat guy waving his canes so I’m trying to make it bipartisan. And then I’m like doing shit, I’m like, you know what? I’m going to just, I’m like, [TRUMP VOICE] “We’re going to get you out of here. We’re going to throw you out like a dog.” I’m just kind of trying to be funny doing my Trump impression. And then he’s kind of reaching into his pockets. And I’m nervous and like, what’s what’s he doing? Then he’s, like, popping pills. This — it’s like almost like a sketch.
ACOSTA: Weird.
FRIEND: So he’s popping pills and then, you know, the guy’s just like kind of flipping me off, like raising his fist in the air. And then after a few minutes, I’m just basically like, you know what, we got to get you to the back or where you were sitting before. Like, you got to out of here. And then he stands up and he’s like, “You want to arrest me? You want arrest me, you want to call the cops?” Basically, it was such a whole ordeal. And then until he stopped, I actually took out my Mitch McConnell glasses and just froze. And I said, I’m going to just stop here. And I just went like this. [Freezes].
ACOSTA: Just freeze the show, like Mitch McConnell.
FRIEND: I just froze the show, exactly. And then after a few minutes, I mean, the guy was, I guess, taken out. But I mean it was definitely troubling.
ACOSTA: Doesn’t he understand this is comedy? Like, don’t people understand they go to a comedy show?
FRIEND: Well, in addition, I made a clear point, which is I don’t wanna hear any bullshit of getting kicked out of a show because he’s a Republican. If he was wearing a Harris Walz camouflage hat acting that way, I would’ve done the same goddamn thing.
ACOSTA: Exactly.
FRIEND: The point is don’t be a psychopath and don’t interrupt shows. So people are gonna try to make this partisan.
ACOSTA: Don’t be a dick!
FRIEND: Yeah, I mean, it’s a crazy. It’s so crazy.
ACOSTA: It’s a bipartisan, non-partisan thing. Don’t be a dick.
FRIEND: This world we live in, it’s so, crazy. It’s insane. But you know, it was interesting. I performed in red Naples, Florida to a probably 95% MAGA crowd. And they were loving it and able to actually have a good time. So there is hope for America that people can like be sensible and normal. But, you know, then again, there’s a lot of weirdos out there.
Watch above via The Jim Acosta Show.
