One of the many comedians who treated Donald Trump’s presidential rise as an impossible joke, David Cross is reckoning with his role in a Trump era by donating the proceeds of those jokes to the ACLU. In a blog post titled “I Know … I Can’t Believe It Either,” Cross explains that his recent Netflix special, which he taped “back in April when Trump was still a harmless punchline,” is something he finds “painful,” particularly those “cringe”-inducing Trump jokes. How to make karmic good? Cross is giving the profits of that folly away through Christmas, donating 100 percent of the sales from the special’s CD version to the ACLU through December 26. And he doesn’t just mean 100 percent of his cut. We’re talking the full retail price, with Cross promising that he’s going to “cover all the other costs.” But that’s not all! “Since you all know that I’m a New York Hollywood liberal atheist Jew, I am going to also match all of this myself 100%,” he added. Cross also explained his choice of the ACLU, writing, “The ACLU is a service that is going to be needed by so many very, very soon. Muslims, the LGBT community, Hispanics, Asians, Jews, journalists, women, Sikhs, Native Americans, African Americans, the list goes on and on unfortunately.” Oh, and if the money ends up being more than Cross can match, “then I’ll ask people I know who are rich to help with that match.” So, come on, Michael Cera. It’s time to put that big hit comedy money to good use.
