Bo Burnham is an American comedian and actor who rose to fame as a YouTuber. Aged 18, Bo became the youngest person to record a half-hour comedy special with Comedy Central. He released his second comedy album with Comedy Central Records, Words Words Words, along with his first live comedy special of the same name in 2010.
Burnham’s association with Netflix started in 2013, when his second special, what., appeared on the streaming service. His third special, Make Happy, was released exclusively on Netflix in June 2016. Bo Burnham: Inside, his fourth special, premiered in late May 2021 on Netflix.
Despite appearing unkempt on his latest Netflix special, Bo Burnham is okay
Bo Burnham’s latest Netflix special has met almost universal praise, with critics hailing Bo as a comedy genius. Burnham shot the special in 2020 in a room in his L.A. home. He also produced and edited the special himself.
That alone is impressive, but it’s the content that makes the 90-minute show a masterpiece. Bo chronicles a miserable 2020, and sings about white women’s Instagram pages, the mega-rich Jeff Bezos, and the alienation of internet culture.
In many ways, Bo Burnham criticizes himself, and in doing so, he maligns the world at large as well. Bo Burnham: Inside is a lament from start to finish, but one filled with enough humor to keep you chuckling along. In an acknowledgment of the non-existent audience in his room, Bo says:
“Man, you guys were a great crowd. Give it up for yourselves for coming out, by the way, tonight. Give it up! Supporting live comedy in these weird times, it’s crazy. These are some pretty crazy times. But it’s nice during these crazy times that we can get together and laugh.”
Despite appearances, Bo Burnham is okay. His disheveled look in the special mirrors what most of us looked like during quarantine: Unkempt hair, sweatpants, and despair. Like Bo, we weren’t doing okay in 2020.
However, Bo found humor in the despair and created Bo Burnham: Inside. The special is a humorous yet candid reminder of the trials of 2020, presented by the ever-impressive Bo Burnham. Rest easy; Bo Burnham is very much okay.