On the old Johnny Carson "Tonight" show
a comedian once came on posing as a spokesman for an imaginary group agitating for the mandatory placement of diapers on farm animals to cover their private parts from public view. The funny part was that the audience didn't pick up on the fact that it was a gag.
And then there was the celebrated case of a conservative California politician who campaigned against his more Liberal opponent by accusing his opponent's wife of being a "self-admitted Thespian". A charge, by the way, that just happened to be true.