Review: Rob Schneider shows Mystic Lake crowd there’s humor outside the liberal bubble

You can’t say Rob Schneider didn’t warn us.

Before the opening acts could take the stage at Mystic Lake Casino, the headliner’s voice came booming over the speaker system.

“Those of you still in your political echo chambers may want take this time to pretend you forgot something in your Tesla,” said Schneider, adding a vulgarity for emphasis.

Most in attendance Friday night already knew what to expect. Long after he was “makin’ copies” on “Saturday Night Live” and stealing scenes in Adam Sandler movies, Schneider has become best known for representing anti-establishment conspiracists and courting controversy.

State Farm Insurance dropped him as a spokesperson in 2014 for his anti-vaccine stance. In late 2023, his act at a Republican holiday party was cut short because of offensive material. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican from Mississippi, even walked out.

Schneider’s 70-minute act in the Prior Lake casino showroom wasn’t terribly raunchy, at least not in the way we usually think of that word. He didn’t swear all that much and steered clear of toilet humor. The 60-year-old was more focused on rallying to make America great again, specifically back to a time when woke activists and transgender people had much less power.

His tirades were often punctuated with funny material, like when he suggested China could destroy America simply by “dropping balloons full of gluten” over our country. He pointed out that there’s a Gay Pride Month, but only one day to celebrate Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. Perhaps, he suggested, the late presidents would get more glory if they had been sexual partners.

Some of his jokes were just as strong as the zingers he directed toward Hillary Clinton during a 2017 appearance at Treasure Island Casino. The bit about his relationship with his wife Friday night sounded like a solid springboard for a revamped version of “I Love Lucy.”

But Schneider, who sported a hat and wore a checkered jacket over a Hawaiian shirt, spent considerable time on stage posing as a preacher without punchlines.

He insisted that “global warning is a scam” and that the woke agenda is just a new form of communism. He also had some ugly words about Islam. There were stretches where there were no jokes — he was just sermonizing.

Schneider’s attacks might have had more sting if he mixed in some self-effacement. But he was too busy scolding those who don’t understand that their government is feeding them lies and whining about being the victim of the liberal media.

“I don’t know what show you were expecting, but this is the one you’re getting,” he said after a bit thrashing pro-Palestinian protesters. “I don’t need to work in Hollywood anymore.”

The only moment he really poked fun of himself is when he predicted Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign was in big trouble because he’s the candidate’s most famous supporter.

Schneider’s approach may make him a hero in some circles, but it’s keeping him from reaching his full potential as a standup.