ASK ELLA: Are Herpes Jokes Ever Funny?

November 8, 2020.Reading time 13 minutes.

Why is SNL still writing sketches about a nightmare ex-boyfriend who takes “fistfuls of Valtrex just to get out of bed in the morning”?

Bachelorella: We Need To Retire The Las Vegas Herpes Joke

January 25, 2016.Reading time 8 minutes.

I haven’t been writing Bachelorella recaps this season of The Bachelor because I am busy and tired and nothing interesting has happened. And then tonight The Bachelor put Ben H.’s harem of girlfriends on a jet (or, possibly, on a passive aggressive party bus) and dragged them to Las Vegas. And I cringed, because I knew what was […]

Wesleyan’s Herpes Joke Problem

September 2, 2014.Reading time 7 minutes.

We need to talk about herpes jokes. In particular, we need to talk about herpes jokes and Wesleyan, my dear flawed alma mater. As my younger friends moved into their new dorms in Middletown this weekend, I searched tumblr for posts about STIs. I’m involved in tumblr’s sprawling sexual health support community and track the tags for […]