Laughing Matters: Comedy, Policy, and the Future of Free Speech

​Join R Street Institute and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) at Sonoma Wine Bar (223 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Washington, D.C. 20003) on Thursday, May 28, at 6 PM to explore the intersection between comedy and free expression.

​Our event will open with a live set from stand-up comic Andrew Heaton, followed by a panel discussion on the evolving landscape of free speech with a group of experts. Ronald K. Collins, along with David Skover and Robert Corn-Revere, petitioned for and won the first-ever posthumous pardon in New York history for Lenny Bruce in 2004. Nico Perrino was co-director and senior producer of Mighty Ira (2020), a feature-length film about the life and career of former ACLU Executive Director Ira Glasser. He also worked as a consultant on Can We Take a Joke? (2015) and The Coddling of the American Mind (2024). Spence Purnell works for the R Street Institute on the impact of misinformation on society and public policy, including creating a new framework for information governance.

​Panelists will touch on the free expression legacy of comedy giants like George Carlin and Lenny Bruce, while providing an overview of current issues shaping speech in the United States and abroad. The discussion will also examine the role of institutions such as the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission in influencing those regulations.

​Designed for policy professionals, think tank audiences, and Hill staff, this event offers a helpful and informative look at key debates and frameworks influencing free expression today, as well as education about upcoming legislation in the space.

​Stay for a happy hour reception and continued conversation.

​This event is for educational purposes only and provides a nonpartisan overview of policy issues. It does not advocate for or against any specific legislation or regulatory action, and it complies with House and Senate ethics rules.