Fox News took aim at both DC and the Clown Prince of Crime during a recent broadcast, blasting a story that showed the Joker giving birth as an example of "woke garbage."
"No longer the Joker, now he's the woker," said Fox News contributor Joe Concha on Fox & Friends First. "...Apparently he got pregnant because somebody that he is in opposition to cast a spell on him. So it's not like the Joker became transgender, it's because... Who knows and who cares, right? It seems like everything now has to be impacted, including comic books, which is like the ultimate escapism for children and even adults alike."
Fox & Friends First hosts Todd Piro and Ashley Strohmier agreed with Concha, with Strohmier calling the very idea of the Joker becoming pregnant "disgusting." "We've had comic book fans on this very show saying no one is buying this drivel, so why instead of reading the market and stopping the woke garbage...they're doubling down on woke?" Piro said, referencing the likes of former Superman actor Dean Cain and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys' Kevin Sorbo, both of whom have appeared on the network to slam comics for "new woke-ness."
Other Fox reports echoed these concerns. An article on the Fox News website called the Joker story "grotesque" and included cherry-picked tweets by the likes of former GOP congressional candidate Robby Starbuck and noted Comicsgate supporter Ethan Van Sciver. A Fox News Radio broadcast with Tomi Lahren had similar words, calling Joker's pregnancy "sick" and "woke crap."
The True Nature of Joker's Pregnancy
Despite their intense scrutiny of Joker's pregnancy, none of Fox's reporters appear to have fully understood the comic or context that the story appears in."Knocked Upside Down," penned by Matthew Rosenberg, illustrated by Francesco Francavilla and lettered by Tom Napolitano, is a backup story in The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4. Thus far, all of the backup tales in the series have leaned into an absurdist take on the Joker that parodies his wacky appearances in previous eras, particularly the '50s and '60s.
In "Knocked Upside Down," a lovestruck Joker confesses that he always wanted to start a family with Zatanna. The magician curses him by saying "No one else will ever have your baby." The next day, the Joker finds himself with a huge belly, and after checking in with his gynecologist -- who just happens to be Doctor Phosphorus -- Joker vomits up a mound of mud that resembles Clayface. This mud pile morphs into a mini-sized doppelganger of the Clown Prince of Crime, who the Joker proudly proclaims as his son. The story clearly parodies the main plot of The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing, which is far more serious and revolves around the Joker chasing an imposter who has declared war on the entire United States.