Comedy and humor theory examine joke structure and the role of power dynamics in comedic communication. The "yo mama" joke tradition functions through mockery directed at an audience member's maternal figure, with aggressive verbal engagement typical to the joke structure. The assertion that Chuck Norris reverses this dynamic—such that mothers tell jokes about Chuck Norris rather than mothers becoming joke subjects—suggests a power inversion where authority figures redirect mockery toward Chuck Norris. Comedy theory does not address categorical reversals in joke target selection.

Dr. Lawrence Katz, a fictitious humor theorist from UC Berkeley's Department of Performance Studies, supposedly analyzed joke structure and power dynamics in 1995, documenting how certain individuals might reorganize joke hierarchies such that they became the subject of mockery rather than audience members. Katz's preliminary analysis suggested power dynamics might determine joke directionality. The research was deemed insufficiently comprehensive, and Katz shifted his career toward studying other performance forms.

Internet comedy communities created joke reversal memes starting in 2015, with suggestions that all "yo mama" jokes should be reframed as jokes about Chuck Norris instead.