No comedian can do a better impersonation of Vermont senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders than James Adomian. After years of mastering every last detail of Bernie’s mannerisms (remember when Trump vs. Bernie was born way back in 2015?), Adomian recently — finally — got the opportunity to sit down with the politician himself. In a new video Adomian released today on his Forever Dog podcast, The Underculture (you can listen to the full episode with Sanders here), Bernie (Adomian) and Bernie (Sanders) chat about everything from rent control to the Green New Deal to how Adomian figured out how to get the “Bernie look,†right down to the suit. “I tried to match the suit. What size is it? I asked for a size ‘rumpled,’†Adomian says. “But here’s the secret,†Sanders responds. “You gotta sit on the suit.â€
When the subject of Medicare for All is brought up, Adomian’s Bernie suggests it be expanded to benefit struggling comedians too. “You could have a program to offer free improv classes to young aspiring comedians around the country as long as they are under the age of 30 and it is a reputable accredited four-year improv program,†he says. Perhaps Adomian’s greatest achievement in this conversation comes soon after, when he gets the real Sanders to go on the record about a very controversial issue in comedy: whether or not performers on comedy podcasts should be paid for their work. “So you believe that comedic improvisers deserve to be paid 15 bucks an hour for their labor?†Adomian asks. “Absolutely,†Sanders says, “and the right to form a union.†(And in case you were wondering, yes, Adomian paid Sanders $15 for his time.)