By — Lisa Desjardins Lisa Desjardins By — Kaisha Young Kaisha Young Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/comedians-use-laughter-as-a-new-tool-for-suicide-prevention Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or suicidal ideation, you can call 988 to access the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or find help online at https://988lifeline.org. Audio Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, claiming more than 49,000 lives in 2023 alone, according to the latest CDC data. One organization has found an unconventional tool to combat those grim numbers: laughter. Lisa Desjardins speaks with Brad Bonar Jr., founder of the 1 Degree of Separation suicide prevention program, for our arts and culture series, CANVAS. Listen to this Segment Watch Watch the Full Episode PBS NewsHour from Sep 14, 2025 By — Lisa Desjardins Lisa Desjardins Lisa Desjardins is a correspondent for PBS News Hour, where she covers news from the U.S. Capitol while also traveling across the country to report on how decisions in Washington affect people where they live and work. @LisaDNews By — Kaisha Young Kaisha Young Kaisha Young is a general assignment producer at PBS News Weekend.