The trailer for Eric Andre’s upcoming Netflix special Legalize Everything begins with the comedian asking an audience, “Do you remember the show Cops? Is it just me or is reggae the most inappropriate music they could have picked? You can’t slap reggae over police brutality footage and call it a day.” Paramount Network canceled Cops after 32 seasons last week, but while the joke may seem timely, it’s actually anything but.
“I’ve been complaining about police brutality and racism my whole life. So it’s not new to me. Now people have a front row seat to it,” Andre recently told The Last Laugh podcast. The Eric Andre Show host also discussed the joke that some “middle-aged white people” at Netflix wanted him to remove from the special due to the current climate.
It’s from the bit the special opens with, where Andre is seen handing out to drugs to strangers while dressed as a police officer. “I’m like, no, guys!” he said. “This is the best time to do these jokes. This is what we need! We need to point out the absurdity of the police department and what a fucking hypocrisy and a disgrace it is. We need to point out police brutality. I am blessed that my stand-up special is coming out in this time.”
Legalize Everything is available to stream on Netflix on June 23.