Seth McFarlane or Bill Maher?

[Spike89]

12. Depends on your goals for hiring them

The thing about most comedians, even the very best (maybe especially the very best) is that they "nail it" for a certain segment of the population. If you're not a member of that target population, well, you're either going to be at a loss for why some people like the act or you're going to be offended.

"Mass market" comedians generally are jovial pleasers who don't really "nail it" for any segment of the audience, but if they are good enough, they can amuse most people.

Generally speaking, if you are trying to bring in a younger audience, you should look for a comedian that will offend some segment of the adult/PC/careful/serious audience--kids laugh the most at people who take on authority. Whether we like it or not, sometimes the "authority" is us. More often, the joke just isn't intended for us--doesn't make it a bad joke. Othertimes, you'll find yourself gasping for air while laughing at a joke that isn't that good--it just connects with you at that point in time.

The Oscars wanted to reach a younger, and more male market (I'd imagine from their choice of host). Us older or female viewers may or may not like it, but either the producers don't care about us, or they know we'll watch it anyway (probably a mix).