Folk icon and activist Joan Baez took a stark detour from comedy during Wednesday’s season premiere of Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney, using the platform to lambast America’s political and corporate elite while reflecting on her storied career.
After Mulaney quipped that his guest could “say anything” on the freewheeling talk show, Baez seized the moment. “We’re all here to be silly and have fun,” she began, “as long as we recognize the fact that our democracy is going up in flames… We’re being run by a bunch of really incompetent billionaires.” Though she avoided naming figures, the remark appeared aimed at former President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the latter of whom has drawn scrutiny for recent cuts to federal programs as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, a role critics argue blurs corporate and governmental interests.
Baez, 83, later pivoted to a humorous anecdote about her brief ownership of a Tesla, a purchase she made at her assistant’s urging. “I hated that thing,” she admitted. “But I thought I was supposed to like it. So I drove off in it. Within 45 minutes, I had smashed it into an oak tree on my property… I was thinking, ‘That’s a sign.’” The story drew laughs, but her underlying critique of tech-driven solutions to systemic issues lingered.
The Grammy-winning musician, whose career has long intertwined art and activism, also shared a poignant memory of Martin Luther King Jr., recalling him as a “funny person” who balanced gravitas with levity. “He understood that joy and justice aren’t opposites,” she said, drawing parallels to today’s political climate.
Baez’s appearance coincided with renewed attention to her legacy. She’s portrayed by Monica Barbaro in James Mangold’s upcoming Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, which explores the 1960s folk scene. Barbaro and co-star Timothée Chalamet, who plays Dylan, scored 2025 Oscar nominations for their roles, though neither won. When Mulaney quipped about the snub, Baez shrugged: “Awards are lovely, but they don’t change the work.”
The segment underscored Baez’s enduring role as a cultural provocateur, blending sharp political commentary with the wit that’s made her a fixture across generations. As Mulaney joked, “Only Joan Baez could crash a Tesla, quote MLK, and roast billionaires—all before our first commercial break.”
Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney airs Wednesdays on NBC. A Complete Unknown is slated for a December awards-season release.
Source Variety
