An Examination of the Impact of Charlie Hill's Legacy

Abstract

As a renowned Oneida comedian, Charlie Hill made a remarkable contribution to comedy. He experienced the honor of becoming the first Native comedian to appear on national television shows, such as The Richard Pryor Show, the Late Show with David Letterman, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, allowing him to boldly address controversial topics about Native people. This study covered Charlie Hill’s life story, including the early influences that inspired his career and his unique ability to use Native American humor to convey Native American experiences to mainstream audiences. Historically, Charlie Hill’s legacy and contributions to comedy have not received merited recognition and need further investigation. Specifically, this study addressed the legacy of Oneida comedian Charlie Hill and its impact on the representation and visibility of Native people in the media. Mass media has perpetuated stereotypes of Native people, leading to their misrepresentation and invisibility. Although Native representation in the media has recently shifted, the problem of invisibility and misrepresentation persists today with Native people rarely featured in contemporary media. Using a conceptual framework, I comprehensively analyzed the impact of Charlie Hill’s comedic approach. This study shows how Charlie Hill overcame barriers and became the first successful Native American stand-up comedian in history who used his platform to combat harmful depictions and stereotypes of Native people in the media.