Funny is funny is funny.

Newhart’s line is a blunt, almost Zen-like assertion that comedy ultimately answers to audience response rather than to theory, fashion, or pedigree. By repeating the word three times, he emphasizes inevitability: if something genuinely lands as funny, it remains funny regardless of whether it is “high” or “low” comedy, topical or timeless, sophisticated or simple. The phrasing also reflects a performer’s pragmatism—comics can debate craft endlessly, but the decisive test is laughter. In that sense, the quote defends clarity and effectiveness over overthinking, and it hints at Newhart’s own understated style: the joke’s success is in its impact, not its explanation.