Obama on parody show: Political humour and awareness in one shot

Heads of state don’t often agree to go on a parody talk show on the internet. But that’s just what US President Barack Obama did when he took on Zach Galifianakis of Hangover fame on Between Two Ferns, a show that parodies celebrity interviews.

In an effort to reach out to younger audiences and raise awareness about Obamacare, the President went toe-to-toe with Galifianakis, answering awkward questions with his dry wit, often brimming with sarcasm.

At the beginning of the 6-and-a-half-minute video, Galifianakis asked Obama if he’s unhappy about not being able to run for a third term.

“No actually I think its a good idea. If I ran for the third time it’d be like doing a third hangover movie. Didn’t really work out very well did it?” quipped Obama, leaving Galifianakis dumbstruck and aware that he was not like his other guests.

Obama also Galifianakis took on questions about the Affordable Health Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare. When asked if he had agreed to appear because he intended to plug his signature health care legislation, the President said with a straight face: “Well first of all I think it’s fair to say I wouldn’t be with you here today if I didn’t have something to plug.”

But the Obama-Galifianakis rally had only begun. The President answered questions about the NSA illegal wiretapping scandal, racism, being “the last black President” and the White House’s diplomatic choices.

Galifianakis, pretending to be ‘off-grid’, told Obama that he hadn’t signed up for healthcare because he didn’t have a mobile phone. “I don’t want you people reading my texts, you know what I mean?” he said to Obama.

But the President was ready. With a straight face and cool demeanour, Obama cut Galifianakis off saying that they didn’t particularly care about his texts.

The video ends with Obama discovering that Galifianakis was filming his show at the Diplomatic Room at the White House. “Who gave you permission to do that?” Obama asked horrified, getting a monosyllabic answer from Galifianakis: “Bush.”

You can watch the entire interview here .