Which Presidents Have Appeared On Comedy Shows, You Ask? Try All In The Last 40 Years! [View all]

[Initech]

Someone brilliant in Richard Nixon's 1968 campaign (a campaign that was done right for a change compared to his 1960 run) thought it a good idea to get Nixon on "Laugh-In" through the use of the show's blackout gags. For those like me who weren't born yet and saw the show later in reruns, you'd know they used three-second blackouts with every big-name celebrity you could name at the time--usually uttering a quick non-sequitur or just plain nonsense. One of the widely-repeated catchphrases that seemingly did make sense on the show was "Sock it to me!" and probably represented Nixon's essence to the core...if more so within another five years.

It wasn't lost on Nixon, though, that he was thought of as a stiff and figured that uttering that famous line for the equivalent of time suitable for a subliminal ad would be the smartest move he could make.

Ultimately, that blackout with Nixon became a classic and gets re-run in retrospectives all the time. Nixon lightening up also helped him win the Presidency that November, even though he never showed a comedic side again on TV other than one more quick gag on "Laugh-In" the following March while officially President. Arguably, Nixon may have contemplated appearing on a comedy show later had he not have maneuvered the country into near chaos during the Watergate scandal and almost ruining the ability of the President to be funny again...

http://voices.yahoo.com/40-years-presidents-appearing-comedy-tv-shows-2916218.html

So to do a head count according to this article:

- Richard Nixon appeared on "Laugh-In"
- Jimmy Carter appeared on multiple Bob Hope specials
- Gerald Ford appeared on Saturday Night Live
- Ronald Reagan was an actor who appeared in Western films (and appeared on "Sonny & Cher" during his tenure as governor)
- George Bush Sr. also appeared on multiple Bob Hope specials
- Bill Clinton and George W. Bush appeared on multiple episodes of "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno"

Obama doing Between Two Ferns? Add it to the list, same comedy, new tech. Move along, Fox, nothing to see here.