The Harvard Lampoon is taking aim at Hollywood in a special parody issue produced in partnership with The Hollywood Reporter, featuring satirical takes on stars and filmmakers, it was announced Wednesday.
The issue was released with The Hollywood Reporter’s Sept. 2 edition while the Harvard University humor magazine celebrates its 150th anniversary. It marks only the second time the Lampoon has produced a parody sanctioned by the publication being spoofed, following a 2008 collaboration with National Geographic.
The Hollywood Reporter Editor-in-Chief Maer Roshan joked about the potential consequences of the collaboration.
“I sincerely, sincerely hope we don’t regret this,” Roshan said. “THR has spent nearly a century chronicling this industry with rigor and authority. It might just take the Lampoon kids one issue to obliterate our credibility.”
The parody takes aim at Hollywood films, television shows and celebrities, with pieces involving Christopher Nolan, Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Leonardo DiCaprio, Scarlett Johansson and Colman Domingo, along with the shows “The Pitt,” “Euphoria” and “Ted Lasso.”
One headline pokes fun at Nolan’s reputation for avoiding technology: “So, This Guy’s Clearly Lying, Right? Christopher Nolan Claims to Live With No Phone, Computer, Email, Plumbing, Heat, Water or Food.”
Another imagines Chalamet portraying the Man in the Yellow Hat in a “Curious George” biopic: “I guess the question for me is … what’s behind the yellow hat?”
One parody imagines DiCaprio offering encouragement to aspiring OnlyFans creators: “`All You Need is an iPhone and a Can-Do Spirit’ — Leonardo DiCaprio Offers Words of Encouragement to Student Pornographers.”
The issue includes a headline taking aim at the real-time format of the medical drama “The Pitt”: “`The Pitt’ Season 3 to Have Each of 3,600 Episodes Take Place Over The Course Of Fifteen Seconds.”
Harvard Lampoon President Kai Nelson said the idea grew out of discussions among staff members about the publication’s next project.
“Just a few months ago, when Lampoon staff sat down to discuss our next project, it was clear: we were out of ideas, desperate and creatively bankrupt. Naturally, Hollywood came to mind,” Nelson said. “We cold-emailed Hollywood Reporter editor Julian Sancton, a Lampoon alum, and pitched a joint parody issue. Inexplicably, they said yes.”
Sancton, senior features editor at The Hollywood Reporter, said his history with the Lampoon helped bring the two publications together.
“When The Lampoon reached out, I was excited by their pitch and the vision they brought to the table. As a proud Lampoon alum who still feels deeply connected to the publication, I figured this was a unique opportunity to bring together two worlds that have shaped my career,” Sancton said. “As it turns out, this was a much better idea in theory than in practice and, in retrospect, I’m not sure how proud I am of being an alum.”
Founded in 1876 by seven Harvard undergraduates, the Lampoon counts Conan O’Brien, B.J. Novak and Colin Jost among its alumni, with former members going on to work on comedy programs and films including “Saturday Night Live” and “The Simpsons.”
The special issue, which also includes parodies involving Taylor Swift, Ryan Reynolds and Kermit the Frog, is available in print and online.