FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Flannery says “I love you 2”
An Early Valentine’s Day Gift for Gary Gulman and HBO
New York, Ny | February 7, 2025 – Amidst a growing mystery surrounding the recent whereabouts of comedian Jim Flannery following his failed bid for President of these United States in the November 2024 election, the gracefully aging artist reappeared just long enough to file a copyright infringement lawsuit pertaining to a joke Flannery alleges was or was not misappropriated by fellow comedian Gary Gulman.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court this morning, states the dispute is regarding a particular punch line involving Green Eggs and Ham author Doctor Seuss. While One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish may be preferred reading material for this reporter, [n]either red nor blue fish [not]withstanding, the matter of Gulman and Flannery’s respective jokes is complicated further by the fact that both comedians’ work speak to competing perspectives surrounding mental health care in the United States.
While Gulman’s joke was published by HBO in Gulman’s acclaimed comedy special The Great Depresh on or around October 5, 2019, Flannery’s lawsuit claims he performed and recorded his version of the joke in question at least as early as August 18, 2018, rendering conventional copyright claims in favor of Flannery.
While joke theft may not be a laughing matter at all, civil crimes of oppression notwithstanding [n]either, the question remains whether Gulman’s testimony in court will at all be impacted by his experiences with voluntary electroshock treatment.
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