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Humor

via Wikimedia Commons (public domain), Wikimedia Commons (public domain) and Wikimedia Commons (Staff Sgt. Marianique Santos)

Teddy Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, Joe Biden and Barack Obama all having a laugh.

Like it or not, we’ve entered the age of artificial intelligence, and although that may be scary for some and there are ethical issues to consider, one guy in Florida thinks it’s a great way to make people laugh. Cam Harless, the host of The Mad Ones podcast, used AI to create portraits of every U.S. president looking “cool” with a mullet hairstyle, and the results are hilarious.

The mullet is a notorious hairdo known as the "business in the front, party in the back" look. It's believed that the term "mullet" was coined by the rap-punk-funk group Beastie Boys in 1994.

While cool is in the eye of the beholder, Harless seems to believe it means looking like a cross between Dog the Bounty Hunter and Kenny Powers from “Eastbound and Down.”

Harless made the photos using Midjourney, an app that creates images from textual descriptions. "I love making AI art," Harless told Newsweek. "Often I think of a prompt, create the image and choose the one that makes me laugh the most to present on Twitter and have people try and guess my prompt."

"The idea of Biden with a mullet made me laugh, so I tried to make one with him and Trump together and that led to the whole list of presidents,” he continued.

Harless made AI photos of all 46 presidents with mullets and shared them on X, and the response has been tremendous. His first photo of Joe Biden with a mullet has nearly 75,000 likes and counting.

Here’s our list of the 14 best presidents with mullets. Check out Harless' thread here if you want to see all 46.

Joe Biden with an incredible blonde mane and a tailored suit. This guy takes no malarkey.

Donald Trump looking like a guy who has 35 different pairs of stonewashed jeans in his closet at Mar-a-Lago.


Barack Obama looking like he played an informant on "Starsky and Hutch" in 1976.


George H.W. Bush looking like he plays bass in Elvis's backing band at the International Hotel in Vegas in '73.

Gerald Ford looking like the last guy on Earth that you want to owe money.

"C'mon down and get a great deal at Dick Nixon's Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram, right off the I-95 in Daytona Beach."



"Who you calling Teddy? That's Theodore Roosevelt to you."


Grover Cleveland is giving off some serious steampunk vibes here.

Pray you never key Chester A. Arthur's Trans Am. If you know what's best for you.

Honest Abe? More like Honest Babe. Am I right?

Franklin Pierce looking like your favorite New Romantic singer from 1982. Eat your heart out, Adam Ant.

"Daniel Day Lewis stole my look in 'Last of the Mohicans.'" — John Tyler

Many have tried the tri-level mullet but few pulled it off as beautifully as James Madison.

Washington's mullet was like a white, fluffy cloud of freedom.

Find more cool, mulletted U.S. presidents here.

This article originally appeared three years ago.

Humor

Comedian Jason Salmon explains the one joke Boomers and Millennials can laugh at together

"I think the key to understanding a generation is you've gotta understand the world they grew up in."

Canva,

A boomer, comedian Jason Salmon, and a millennial.

It's no secret that comedian Jason Salmon is an expert on generational differences. His stand-up is riddled with insightful jokes that perfectly encapsulate how many of us are, in part, a product of the times we grew up in.

He's a proud (fellow) Gen X-er and feels lucky to have been born to that generation. In his stand-up special Biscuits and Gravy, he discusses the many ways that Gen X is super special.

"It's easy to spot that we're a lucky generation, because we're sandwiched between the two most dynamically angry generations currently alive. Boomers and millennials hate each other. I hear it all the time! 'You're an idiot.' 'No, you're an idiot!' I'm like, 'Hey, you're both right.'"

But the truth is, he gives a graceful pass to all generations. "I think the key to understanding a generation is you've gotta understand the world they grew up in."

He admits that timing is everything. "Gen X was in that sweet spot in American history. After the Boomers had taught us to 'just say no' but before millennials taught us that 'no MEANT no.' But we were having a good time, we were!"

Upworthy spoke to Salmon who talks about how Gen X can help bridge generation gaps. "I think Gen X is uniquely positioned to help bridge divides, because we have one foot in the old school world of institutions and collective consciousness and one foot in the new age of social media and individualism."

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

In his comedy special, he also jokes that it's his calling to help generations understand each other. For example, "Boomers experienced Spider-Man only as a comic book and millennials think that his superpower is that every time he takes off his mask he's a different actor. That's too big of a chasm, so I feel like it's my job to translate between the generations."

He also gives a profoundly existential reason for that "chasm" between the two generations, using how they grew up getting directions as another example. "Millennials grew up with GPS. Every time they went on a journey, sitting next to them was this robot navigation butler, just whispering precise step-by-step instructions in the soothing voice of their choosing. And then when they look at the map, it's telling them they're the center of the universe. No matter how far they go or which direction they're headed, they're just this bright blue orb of hope that the entire world just arranges itself around. That's gotta mess with your sense of self."

Boomers, he claims, had quite the opposite experience. "Of course it's gonna irritate boomers because every time they went on a trip, the thing giving them directions was a disappointed spouse or parent. And NOT in the voice of their choosing, but in the voice they hated the most in the whole world."

maps, baby boomers, confusion, generations, gifConfused person looks at a map. Giphy GIF by Lidl Voyages

He points out how many of them were anything but universe-centered. When Boomers went on trips, "they had to start preparing the night before by unfolding a map sometimes the size of their house. And the first thing they had to do was figure out where they were on the map. Think about that! If every time you went on a trip, your first step was to find yourself? Do you realize the level of existential stability that requires?"

When we asked Salmon what his favorite part of being a Gen X-er is, he answered unequivocally: "We were the only generation not tied to a phone. Boomers had to stay home or miss a call. Younger generations depend on their phones for everything." But Gen X "had answering machines—like a babysitter for our phone. We'd go out for the night and leave our phone at home. When we came home, we'd know if something happened because a red light would be flashing on the answering machine. Then we'd press the button and get the lowdown on what happened while we were out."

At the end of the day, he believes that people are responding so positively to generational humor, because "most people are dealing with similar things in different incarnations." He adds, "For me, Gen X comedy helps to parallel those generational similarities because the two most dynamically different generations—and the biggest—are millennials and baby boomers. One just dipped a toe in the analog world and the other did the same in the digital world."

Gen X, Mario Brothers, 1980s, 1990s, generationsMario and Luigi stand with their arms crossed.Giphy, GIF by Bombay Softwares

A commenter under his YouTube clip backs this up. "Gen X was the first generation to become familiar with the VERY rapid development of technology, and grew up knowing they had to keep up… We can set up a VPN, beat Super Mario Brothers in one life, fix a roof and toilet, and were there when Tool and Rage Against the Machine were brand new (not just being 'rediscovered'). Fear us—we're bulletproof."

Humor

Comedian perfectly sums up everything you need to know about Gen X in three definitive words

"If y'all don't like this joke, guess what – you're only giving me more cred."

Photo supplied by Jason Salmon

Jason Salmon talks about generations through comedy.

Jason Salmon has his finger on the pulse of just what makes Generation X tick. But in typical X fashion, his own promotional YouTube page boasts that he's been "described as like getting the best advice you’ve ever gotten from the dumbest guy you know."

His humility only makes him that much more charming. But the truth is, what we think doesn't really matter to his X Generation. In his comedy special, Biscuits and Gravy, at one point he asks the audience if there are any Gen X-ers. A few people clap and cheer and he responds, "Yeah. I don't even care. That's how Gen X I am. That's a calling card to our generation."

@jsalmoncomedy

Gen X would like you to leave us alone #genxtiktok #dontcare #genx #genxtiktokers #lucky #Standupcomedy #Jokes #fyp #CleanComedy #jasonsalmon

He points out the unlikelihood of a Gen X-er even being offended by that. "That's not even dismissive to a Gen X-er. It's like 'I don't care.' 'I don't care, also. Nice to meet you.'"

He then points to a person in the crowd and asks, "What generation are you?" But before they have a chance to answer, he jokes, "It doesn't matter. I don't care. That's the beautiful thing." He adds that if an audience member doesn't like the joke, guess what? Doesn't care. "If y'all don't like this joke, guess what, you're only giving me more cred as a Gen X-er. You're only making me more powerful."

The truth is that some of the stereotypes about Gen X aren't exactly true. Sure, we had director Richard Linklater calling us slackers. And Ben Stiller's film Reality Bites didn't exactly help dissuade the argument that we were ultra prepared for adulthood.

Gen X, Reality Bites, Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, gifConvenience store dance scene from the film Reality BitesGiphy, Universal Pictures, Jersey Films

But in an article called "8 Things That Gen X Gave the World" (via The Arrow, via – gasp – the AARP website) Esquire editor and radio and television personality Dave Holmes dispels some of those myths. "Generation X is exactly like corn. We’re largely ignored in the broader culture, disregarded in polling, a demilitarized zone between the boomers and the millennials. But we’ve actually contributed a great deal to the society that has spurned us."

He goes on to list some of those contributions, which in part include: blogs, alternative comedy, "comic books as our new global religion," and a little something called the Internet. Of the latter, he writes that in 1994, after he'd graduated from college and moved to New York, he had a friend who was "writing code for the Sony Music website."

He shares, "At the time, I had no idea what the word 'website' meant. My understanding of the Internet came entirely from Prodigy, a rudimentary content delivery network. But then one Saturday afternoon, Mike and I went up to his office, he turned his monitor on, and after that 20-minute connection process, he opened Netscape and typed in 'http://www.yahoo.com.' 'There,' he said, 'search for anything.' 'Anything?' I asked. 'Anything at all. Someone will have made a website for it.'"

Gen X, early internet, The Internet, Netscape, the WebA GIF of what the early Internet looked like.Giphy

So while apathy might not be the best description for Gen X, Jason Salmon proves one thing we can all agree on: they (we) have a sense of humor.

Many of the comments agree. One commenter under his YouTube clips proves that maybe we DO care a little. "Why is Gen X trending so much lately? Are we finally getting the recognition that we don't care about?"

Humor

A mom lost her son on a cruise ship. Turns out he was going viral from the karaoke room.

Tyler knew exactly where he was—rounding up aunties with his Keith Sweat performance.

A mom lost her son on a cruise ship. Turns out he was going viral from the karaoke room.

Cruise ships are often the perfect family vacation. They allow you to go to multiple different locations on a tighter budget while also giving your family a resort experience with all the on ship entertainment and activities. But cruise ships are big. We're talking so large that they make the Titanic look like a tug boat, so, it's fairly easy to get lost on one. This is what one mom, Kim Heyworth, thought happened when her young adult son disappeared from the group for a while.

Thankfully, that wasn't the whole story. In turned out that the missing 20-year-old was going viral while his mom was actively looking for him. According to some comments, the missing kid, named Tyler, was supposed to be going to the pool but wasn't there when his family went looking for him. Instead of taking a dip, Tyler Heyworth went on a bit of a side quest after coming across a room full of people dressed up and singing karaoke.

Tyler on cruise; Tyler singing; kid singing on cruise; Tyler on Carnival; cruise ship; karaokeA large neon karaoke sign on the side of a building. Photo by Nikola Đuza on Unsplash

Clearly, Tyler was no longer interested in the pool. His calling suddenly became the stage, a microphone, and a room full of uncles and aunties waiting to be entertained—and entertain he did. Tyler grabbed the mic as a familiar tune filled the room: "Nobody" by R&B artist Keith Sweat. Was he actually going to sing Keith Sweat? He was. He did. And the 20-year-old knew every single word and tone without having to look at the screen. This kid was born an entertainer, clearly.

As soon as he starts singing the first few words, one of the women in the front of the room gets up and walks away before stopping to fan herself. It's clear that nobody in the room thought that song was going to come out of Tyler's mouth, probably because it's a pretty niche song that didn't seem to have much crossover when it was dominating the R&B airwaves.

Before long, Tyler's older brother comes looking for him, but fails to bring his brother back at all. The brother, Timmy, saw what Tyler was doing and decided to join in on the fun, both apparently forgetting they were supposed to be returning to their mother. Timmy dons a pair of sunglasses while rocking a messy bun and grabs the second mic. In time, the duo are grooving to the 2004 hit, "Let Me Love You" by Mario.

While the crowd was thoroughly entertained, their mother was confusedly still searching—now for both of her sons. In the meantime, Tyler was going viral on social media thanks to small snippets from cruise passengers that were quickly being reshared online. Soon, Carnival had reshared a clip and, serendipitously, John Legend did too. Funnily enough, Tyler didn't have his own TikTok at the time, which was a let down for fans looking to follow him. What fans did have, though was Tyler's first name and the name of his cruise ship.

@crazy_chickenlady03 Brothers Timmy and Tyler singing. #karaoke #carnival Paradise @TimmyHeyworth @tyler ♬ original sound - Kim Heyworth

Eventually, word got to Tyler's mom and she found her boys in the middle of their viral moment. Soon, she uploaded two full videos of the performances: one of Tyler singing alone and the other with his brother.

Carnival later reached out to Tyler, sending him a box full of goodies and inviting him back on one of their cruises with a guest. Tyler is good for business.