Adam Conover
Momodu Mansaray—Getty Images

Comedian Adam Conover first became famous by ruining things. Specifically, things people like. National monuments, weddings, orange juice—one by one he walked us all through why these things are messed up, wrong, bad, tainted, problematic. He knew how annoying it is to walk around ruining things, but he just kept firing jokes and facts and science at us, grinning maniacally from under an improbable blond pompadour. He was like a Pixar superhero called the Fact Checker. But he doesn’t ruin things just to ruin them. He does it because he hates, above all, injustice—as seen in his work to rally support for the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. He hates bullies and scam artists and powerful institutions that abuse the public for profit. In a world of asymmetrical power structures, where unions and workers and consumers are bruised by arcane rules and rigged systems, Adam suddenly pops into frame, points out how things really work, and offers ideas for how to fight back. I hope he keeps ruining things forever.

Schur is an Emmy-winning writer and producer

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