Comedian Andrew Santino said Disney demanded cuts to jokes about so-called "Disney adults" in his upcoming Hulu special "Andrew Santino: White Noise," prompting a back-and-forth between the performer and the platform's parent company that resulted in altered material airing.
Santino told Variety that Disney, which owns Hulu, flagged the jokes almost immediately after he submitted the special and requested they be removed or changed. "They couldn't wait to trim the fat on those jokes," he said. "Candidly, we went back and forth, and they didn't really enjoy having that stuff in there. We found a happy medium, and I was able to keep the jokes in there, but [the jokes] were manipulated." He added, "I’m not going to lie: They definitely changed the jokes. I was not stoked about that. We got into a little bit of a war. They did not want those jokes in there."
Santino said the original version of the bit was "funnier" and "peeled open a little bit more" by addressing adults who go to Disney parks without children and people who wear Disney clothing. He characterized Disney as a "massive corporate conglomerate" and recounted that the company made clear the special would not be allowed to air on Hulu without their requested edits. "If you want it on here, this is how we want it. Otherwise we won't be able to air the special. We have to cut the jokes," he said. He ultimately described the outcome as a compromise: the jokes remain in the special but in a modified form.
The dispute, Santino said, illustrates one reason some comedians have moved away from traditional media outlets. He called the experience a "first" for him and said the process was a challenge, but he added that he still loves the special and hopes audiences will enjoy it despite the internal debate. "This was a challenge for me, but I made it work," he told Variety.
"Andrew Santino: White Noise" is set to premiere on Hulu on Sept. 12. The special is Santino's third, following "Cheeseburger" and "Home Field Advantage." The comic and podcaster has toured and released filmed stand-up in multiple formats; this instance highlights editorial oversight that streaming platforms and parent companies sometimes exercise over user-facing content.
Santino's comments come amid ongoing discussions in entertainment about content review and creative control when platforms and conglomerates own distribution channels. He framed the episode as part of a broader shift in how comedians consider where and how to present material, but he did not cite other specific examples in the interview. The special will be the public test of the negotiated material when it debuts on Hulu.
Representatives for Disney and Hulu did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Santino's public remarks follow the submission and review timeline he described: after completing the special and sending it to Hulu, the company sought edits, Santino contested them, and a revised version was agreed upon. He said the end result preserved the spirit of the material while accommodating the platform's standards.
The forthcoming special will reveal the extent of the edits and how audiences respond to the altered jokes. Santino, who has built a profile through stand-up, podcasting and acting, said he remains proud of the work despite the negotiations over specific lines of material.