After 20 years of marriage, she finally turned on the lights…

Joke Poo: The Remote Control

A couple had been binge-watching TV together for 20 years. Every time a commercial break came on, the husband insisted on grabbing the remote and switching the channel.

The wife found it annoying, but she respected his habit. However, after two decades, her curiosity got the best of her.

One night, during a particularly loud insurance ad, she quickly snatched the remote before he could.

She looked down—and to her shock—he had pre-programmed the remote with a single channel.

Furious, she shouted, “You controlling weirdo! You’ve been forcing me to watch the same channel all these years! You’ve got a lot of explaining to do!”

The husband looked her in the eyes, calm as ever, and said:
“Me?
Explain the channel?
You better explain why you never noticed the channel was QVC.”

Okay, let’s dissect this joke and then cook up something new.

Joke Dissection:

• Core Concept: The joke revolves around a long-standing marital secret and a sudden, unexpected revelation leading to a dramatic confrontation and a further shocking twist.
• Setup: 20 years of darkness during intimacy builds anticipation and mystery. The wife’s suppressed curiosity and eventual action are crucial.
• Punchline: The punchline delivers a double-whammy: 1) The husband’s use of a vibrator, seemingly suggesting inadequacy. 2) The accusation, a far more damaging secret that flips the power dynamic and throws the wife into the hot seat.
• Humor Source: The humor derives from several factors:
  • Subversion: The initial expectation is that the husband is hiding something embarrassing about himself. The punchline completely reverses this, revealing a far more significant secret about the wife.
  • Irony: The wife’s outrage at the "deception" is hilariously undermined by her own far greater deception.
  • Shock Value: The sudden, unexpected accusation regarding the children is a major surprise.
  • Relatability (Sort Of): While the situation is extreme, the idea of long-term relationships harboring secrets is something many can relate to, even if only on a metaphorical level.

Key Elements to Play With:

• Long-term Marital Secrets: Secrets, in general, have power, and secrets within a marriage can be particularly potent.
• Impotence (or Perceived Inadequacy): This serves as the initial misdirection.
• Vibrators: An object often associated with female pleasure, but here used (supposedly) by the male.
• Children’s Paternity: A classic comedic (and dramatic) trope.
• Turning on the Lights: A literal and metaphorical act of revealing truth.

Humorous Enrichment: A "Did You Know?" Style Observation

Okay, let’s go for a "Did You Know?" observation that builds upon the themes of marital secrets and vibrators.

Here it is:

"Did you know that in the 1920s, vibrators were often marketed to women as a treatment for ‘hysteria’? Essentially, they were prescribed by doctors for what was then considered a common female ailment. Imagine the marital secrets then… ‘Honey, I’m just off to the doctor for my… headache treatment. Don’t wait up!’ The lights would be off and there would be a lot of buzzing!"

Why this works:

• Connects to the original: It takes the element of vibrators and expands on it with a historical and slightly scandalous fact.
• Subverts expectations: The historical context makes it funnier than just a random fact. It plays on the assumption that vibrators were always solely for sexual pleasure.
• Relatability (through imagining): Puts the audience in the imagined shoes (or should I say, bed sheets) of a couple from the 1920’s

I could try another joke if you’d like. How about a witty observation?