The Midterm Stakes, Gavin Newsom & Woke Hollywood | Peachy Keenan with AJ Rice Dangerous Laughter

Peachy Keenan, author and satirist, joins A.J. Rice on Dangerous Laughter for a wide-ranging conversation about her new book, Supervillains: Architects of America’s Decline, Hollywood, political comedy, marriage, family and the political battles unfolding in California. Keenan uses satire to examine people, institutions and cultural trends she believes have contributed to American decline. Topics include: • Peachy Keenan • Supervillains: Architects of America’s Decline • Hollywood politics • Disney • Jimmy Kimmel • Late-night comedy • Censorship • Political satire • Keenan’s career writing in Hollywood • Disney live-action remakes • Secular feminism • Catholicism • Marriage • Motherhood • Family formation • Celebrity culture • California politics • Steve Hilton • Xavier Becerra • Gavin Newsom • Karen Bass • Nithya Raman • Los Angeles politics • Local activism • School boards • Political ridicule Keenan discusses California’s 2026 political landscape as voters prepare to choose a successor to term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom. Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra advanced to the November 3 gubernatorial election. In Los Angeles, incumbent Karen Bass faces Nithya Raman in the mayoral election. Keenan offers her own assessment of those contests and discusses whether the political and cultural approach associated with California could influence other states. The conversation also explores her transition from secular feminism to Catholic motherhood and why she now views marriage, children and family formation as important parts of the broader cultural debate. THE BIGGER QUESTION Who ultimately shapes a civilization? Politicians? Hollywood? Media institutions? Or families and communities deciding what values they intend to preserve? Keenan’s answer points away from political despair and toward local action, parenthood, community involvement and something particularly useful on Dangerous Laughter: Ridicule. Subscribe to Dangerous Laughter with A.J. Rice for conversations about politics, comedy, culture, media, books and perfectly timed derision. PEACHY KEENAN Supervillains: Architects of America’s Decline https://passage.press/products/supervillains Website / Substack: https://www.peachykeenan.com/ X: https://x.com/keenanpeachy A.J. RICE https://ajricepr.com/ DANGEROUS LAUGHTER https://dangerouslaughter.com/