Watch Barely Political

Barely Political was a comedy web series produced by Next New Networks that poked fun at politics and pop culture. The show premiered on YouTube on June 2007 and ran until March 2014, delivering dozens of episodes and sketches that entertained millions of viewers.

The format of Barely Political varied from episode to episode, but usually involved parodies of music videos, political news programs, and celebrity interviews. The show's humor was often irreverent, bordering on absurd, and relied heavily on sarcasm, satire, and irony. Despite its name, Barely Political didn't take sides or advocate for any specific political ideology, preferring to mock both sides of the aisle equally.

One of the most popular segments of the show was the "Obama Girl" music video series, which featured a model named Amber Lee Ettinger singing suggestive songs about her crush on Obama during the 2008 presidential election. The videos went viral and helped launch the show to mainstream attention. Another recurring character was Giuliani Girl, a parody of Obama Girl that featured a girl singing about her love for former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Aside from these recurring bits, Barely Political also tackled a wide range of topics, including the 2008 financial crisis, the war in Iraq, the rise of social media, and the scandals of celebrities like Tiger Woods and Lindsay Lohan. The show's writers often came up with clever and unexpected twists on current events, such as having Sarah Palin sing a duet with a polar bear about climate change or portraying John Boehner as a Spider-Man villain.

One of the hallmarks of Barely Political was its use of celebrity guest stars, who appeared in sketches or parodies of their own work. Some of the famous faces that appeared on the show include Andy Samberg, Sarah Silverman, Neil Patrick Harris, and "Weird Al" Yankovic. These appearances not only added star power to the show but also helped establish its reputation as a go-to destination for comedic takes on pop culture.

Barely Political was also notable for being one of the first web series to emerge from the YouTube era of online video. The show was produced by Next New Networks, which was acquired by YouTube in 2011. This gave the show access to a larger audience and allowed it to experiment with different formats and distribution methods. Despite this transition, Barely Political never lost its edgy and irreverent humor, which continued to attract loyal fans throughout its run.

In conclusion, Barely Political was a comedic web series that satirized politics and pop culture with an irreverent and absurdist style. The show tackled a wide range of topics, often featuring inventive twists on current events and using celebrity guest stars to bolster its comedic chops. Though the show ended in 2014, its legacy lives on as one of the most enduring and influential web series of the YouTube era.