Funny or Die is a production company and humor website found by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Mark Kvamme, and Chris Henchy in 2007.
The website began as a viral content platform in the early aughts, where viewers could vote on whether or not something was hilarious (funny) or not (die). The videos were also notable for featuring celebrities of the day. A pioneer of viral content but eventually outpaced by social media, the website was retired in 2018 and the platform moved to one owned by Vox Media.
The associated production company produced Funny or Die Presents, a variety sketch comedy show, for HBO Max. They also create humor content, including parodic web videos and producing stand-up specials for various comedians, and maintain a YouTube library
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Works associated with the website and/or production company:
- Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis
- Billy on the Street
- Brockmire
- Drunk History
- Gay of Thrones
- iSteve
- Telenovelas Are Hell
- A Very Special Episode
- Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
- Zack Morris is Trash
Tropes in their videos:
- Bathroom Control: In the short video "Toys R Me", Lance Reddick portrays Monte, the manager of a toy store who takes his business and role as an authority figure so seriously that he even makes a point to mention to his new employees how bathroom use is tightly controlled.
- Cranky Landlord: Parodied in the video The Landlord, where Will Ferrell squares off against his foul-mouthed, beer-swinging landlord...played by Adam McKay's then-two-year-old daughter.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: The video "Pants" was about a young woman (co-writer June Diane Raphael) who, whenever she began to make out with a partner, would suddenly get pantsed. This is played out as a metaphor for constantly getting into abusive relationships.
- After her second pantsing in a row, June decides she's finished with men, and we see her in a car with a girl, wearing matching baseball caps and white t-shirts and singing an Ani DiFranco song, whereupon the girl asks her if her jeans are button-fly; told they are, the girl says "Good to know" and June looks worriedly out the window. The metaphor is lampshaded by June's friend:Casey: I guess getting pantsed is your destiny.
June: [staring at herself in the mirror] Yeah, Case, maybe you're right. [montage of June standing with man without her pants on; sitting on floor, pants-less, tearful; stumbling out of hallway with her pants around her ankles] Why am I fighting it? I get pantsed. It's who I am. - Eventually, she meets a nice guy who says he wants to take their relationship to the next level, but he's then horrified when she spontaneously pulls down her own pants.Man: Fuck's wrong with you? [hastily putting on his shoes] Jesus Christ, June, I liked you.June: I thought you would like this.Man: Fuckin' skank. [heads for the door]June: "Skank", what are you saying? [shuffles after him, her pants around her ankles] What did you mean by "next level"?Man: [leaving] Jesus Christ, not this! [slams door]June: Stop! I'll pull them back up! I'LL PULL THEM BACK UP!
- After her second pantsing in a row, June decides she's finished with men, and we see her in a car with a girl, wearing matching baseball caps and white t-shirts and singing an Ani DiFranco song, whereupon the girl asks her if her jeans are button-fly; told they are, the girl says "Good to know" and June looks worriedly out the window. The metaphor is lampshaded by June's friend:
- Real Trailer, Fake Movie: Weird: the Al Yankovic Story, a parody of rock star biopic trailers starring Aaron Paul as Weird Al, which was later made into an actual movie starring Daniel Radcliffe.
