Being a "stand-up" comedian in a totalitarian regime was never going to be an easy state of affairs. Hofi was walking on thin ice as he never passed up an opportunity to ridicule the obvious absurdities of the communist government. However, there are indications that his shows were viewed by those in power as a safe way to discharge the people's frustration with the system. In the decades following the anti-communist uprising of 1956 the government was cautious not to shut down the voice of the people (Hofi) but rather to let them laugh—and in particular to laugh at those in power. Hofi however never held back and on numerous occasions spent a few nights in prison.