A Jewish Comedian Walks Into a Theater in Minnesota

In his HBO special, “Just for Us,” the comedian Alex Edelman explores his Jewish identity and whiteness in an unusual way: attending a neo-Nazi meeting in Queens. Before the 2024 presidential election, he traveled to Michigan to watch a stranger perform his comedy special in a theater performance. In this episode, Edelman joins the Opinion editor Susannah Meadows to reflect on that experience, what “Just for Us” means after Donald Trump’s return to office and why hard conversations — even with extremists — matter now more than ever.

A Jewish Comedian Walks Into a Theater in Minnesota

Alex Edelman HBO’s comedy special about white nationalism hits different now.

Below is an excerpt from this episode of “The Opinions.” We recommend listening to it in its original form for the full effect. You can do so using the player above or on the NYT Audio app, Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.

The transcript has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Susannah Meadows: You had to watch the person or persona that you created, and I’m curious how it felt to be confronted with that person you made, and did you like him?

Alex Edelman: Um, yes.

Meadows: Oh, that’s nice.

Edelman: But I kind of like that there are things about it that feel really, really true and vulnerable to me. But there are also some things that I sort of hide the ball on. I think it’s like a sketchy abstract picture of myself, as opposed to a photo. And watching somebody else inhabit that made it seem that way, too.

Meadows: You obviously feel a lot of ownership over it, and the show is out of your control. How did you deal with that?