Humor can expose arrogance without requiring hostility.

Arrogance depends on being taken at its own valuation. Humor punctures it by simply describing it accurately with a slight tilt, which is why the arrogant often dislike being laughed at far more than being argued with. No cruelty is required, because the exaggeration was already there and the joke only pointed at it.

If you need to deflate something inflated, aim at the posture rather than the person, and be willing to include yourself in the same joke. If you would not say it with them in the room, it has probably crossed from humor into hostility. And when the laughter lands on you, the graceful move is to join it.