This “Comedian” Thinks Bashing Nurses is Funny (Video)
Warning: This clip is NSFW and contains offensive language.
Nurse Blake's video on TikTok has gone viral, with over half a million views in three days.
@nurseblake 🙄 omg, i cant even... #nurse ♬ original sound - NurseBlake
The 29-second clip shows nurse influencer, Nurse Blake, watching a comedy bit that trashes nurses. So who is the comedian, and what was so bad about the bit?
What did Joe Derosa say about nurses?
DeRosa’s performance insulted nurses on many levels.
- “Where did the concept of hot nurses come from? Who made up that fairy tale horse [s***/expletive] thing that I can’t seem to find in any hospital that I’ve ever been to. Never seen it. Never seen it once…These [b******/expletive] are rough and tumble.”
At one point in the routine, he compares nursing skills and knowledge to something one would obtain through “two years in night school.”
- “Here’s another thing about nurses. They don’t know [s***/expletive], and that’s why you die. It’s true. If you ever wonder why a lot of people die in hospitals, it’s because the nurses.”
- “Think about it, the doctor’s the specialist…he says come to the hospital, and works on you for a few hours, then leaves you with nurses for a few weeks! It doesn’t make sense! If your car was broken, you wouldn’t go to the mechanic and say, ‘hey mechanic! My car is broken, so work on it half a day, and then let the receptionist [f***/expletive] with it the rest of the time it’s here.”
DeRosa also questioned nursing professionals' compassion and dedication.
- “A lot of nurses don’t know [s***/expletive] because a lot of nurses don’t care…A lot of ‘em look at it like, ‘[F***/expletive] it’s a living,’ That’s a [s*****/expletive] attitude to have in the healthcare field.”
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Although the video on YouTube is from 2019, DeRosa posted two clips of that Comedy Central special on his Instagram page last week, promoting ticket sales for an upcoming show in San Diego. Nurses commented that his routine is getting old.
Who is Comedian Joe DeRosa?
The viral video features clips from a 2019 Comedy Central stand-up routine by Joe DeRosa. Notably, the clip titled “Where Did the Concept of Hot Nurses Come From?” only has 100k views.
Joe DeRosa is a middle-aged American stand-up comedian. He currently shares his opinions on his podcast and co-hosts shows, including:
- Taste Buds (92 episodes, 3k ratings)
- We’ll See You in Hell (130 episodes, 600 ratings)
- Down with Joe DeRosa (65 episodes, 126 ratings)
DeRosa is also a co-author of the book, Cheat: A Man's Guide to Infidelity.
He lives and works in New York City but spent time in Los Angeles as a TV writer and director. He’s also an actor known for his role as Caldera in the AMC Original Series Better Call Saul. Or should I say, “he was an actor, podcaster, and comedian”?
Because, according to his Wikipedia page, “In 2022, he made jokes about nurses that ended his career.”
Nurse’s Response
When someone in the public eye attacks the nursing profession, nurses have been known to respond swiftly, refuting information and expressing their opinions online. Nursing is a tight-knit community. So word spreads fast.
Remember when Senator Maureen Walsh commented about nurses playing cards at the nurses’ stations? Or when Joy Behar compared scrubs and stethoscopes to a “costume”? In both cases, the nursing community was quick to respond. DeRosa’s performance has been no different.
Nurses across the US have taken to social media to deliver their clapbacks.
And someone added to his Wikipedia bio…
Comedy for Nurses
Recent survey data shows that nurses are still struggling two years after the pandemic. As a community, nursing professionals battle with mental health issues, feeling unsupported, severe burnout and post-traumatic stress. Meanwhile, nurse suicide is more common than you think. On top of this, the profession is facing a labor shortage that creates staffing nightmares.
Nurses have been ranked the most honest profession for 20 years, yet nurses are dealing with heavy issues.
That’s why comedy is needed, now more than ever before. Comedians keep moods lighthearted and make life fun. But many viewers, including non-healthcare workers, found DeRosa’s angry, emo-style rant from 2019 (and replayed last week) to be offensive––and not funny.
Then again, maybe he’s pulling a publicity stunt by reposting content from three years ago. He certainly garnered a lot of publicity for his upcoming show this week by trashing nurses.
Nurse Blake's PTO Comedy Tour
In any case, Nurse Blake, whose real name is Blake Lynch, received over 15k likes in just two days for the post about DeRosa’s performance, which he captioned “🙄omg, please tell me this is a joke?!” Nurses may be familiar with Lynch’s comedy skits on YouTube or The Nurse Blake Podcast on Apple Podcasts. His 2.5 million social media followers enjoy high-energy videos and conversations about nursing issues on and off the clock. Nurse Blake is also a comedian - his international tour, the Nurse Blake PTO Tour, kicks off in September
