Netflix, COVID and social media have been game changers for the comedy business, with the pandemic accelerating shifts already underway across the media landscape. Where once comedians would rely on comedy clubs, sitcom gigs or specials on channels such as HBO to build their names, now they have other options, including direct access to consumers on multiplying social media platforms.
Netflix began its stand-up comedy shopping spree in 2016, the year Just for Laughs exec Robbie Praw joined the streaming giant as VP of stand-up and comedy formats. Top-tier performers were offered millions of dollars to perform for Netflix cameras, turning the comedy landscape into a seller’s market and helping to make comedians such as Ali Wong household names.
“Netflix was certainly an inflection point when the specials started becoming a thing,” says Independent Artists Media partner Dave Rath, who manages comedians including Adam Ray. “By Netflix paying some literally millions of dollars for their specials, they basically created an imbalance in the marketplace, because before that Comedy Central, HBO and a few other places were doing the long-form specials, but they weren’t paying that kind of money.”
COVID also proved to be a paradigm-shifter. The virus forced comedy clubs all over the country to shut down, which led to an “explosion of comedians,” according to Caroline Hirsch, the owner of legendary comedy club Carolines on Broadway, which she closed in 2022.
“Comedians were able to build their brand on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and on podcasts,” says Hirsch. “These platforms really put comedians on everybody’s phone. That’s what has helped make these younger comedians into their own big brands.”
Comedians such as Sarah Cooper and Matt Rife rose to prominence thanks to YouTube and TikTok, and then booked Netflix specials, which further bolstered their careers. Cooper gained fame for her TikTok videos lipsynching then-President Donald Trump early in the pandemic and has branched out into film and theater work since her 2021 Netflix special, “Everything’s Fine.” Rife, a longtime standup, self-produced a 2021 YouTube special called “Only Fans,” but really went viral on TikTok a year later, leading to his Netflix special, “Natural Selection,” late last year.
“What changed in the last five years is that most of the audience who is watching is watching on their phone,” says Rath. “It created a completely different audience. Now when we talk with a young comedian who is emerging as a headliner, we talk about output. We do the long-form video, the video clips, the TikTok clips with captions, the audio long-form and the audio tracks that go to SiriusXM and all that.”
While social media has helped up-and-coming comedians gain notoriety, live events like comedy festivals have helped solidify a comedian’s career.
“The live-event business is better than ever for comedians,” says Hirsch, the driving force behind the New York Comedy Festival, which in 2023 featured 200 comedians performing more than 100 shows at venues throughout the five boroughs.
SXSW, in which Variety parent company PMC owns a majority stake, has spotlighted the likes of Jim Gaffigan and Patton Oswalt at its comedy festival since 2008, and this year’s lineup includes stand-up showcases and improv sessions, with Conan O’Brien, Judd Apatow and Robert Smigel scheduled to appear. Variety will present its second annual Power of Comedy event at the festival, honoring funny folk including Pamela Adlon, Cazzie David and Hannah Einbinder.
“Comedy festivals are so important in the landscape of standup comedy,” says Charlie Sotelo, senior manager of SXSW’s comedy festival. “They not only introduce comedians to new fans but, most importantly, they lead to new relationships that so often affect the course of a career.”
Sotelo says the festival works to bring luminaries from film and TV together with gifted comedians. “That unique mix of talent, both on and off the stage, has led to some truly remarkable collaborations and life-changing projects,” he adds.
Led by Praw, Netflix launched its own comedy festival in 2022. The debut edition of the Netflix Is a Joke Festival featured 295 live shows, and the streamer has continued to experiment with its comedy programming, last year debuting a live stand-up show by Chris Rock.
“I think that this is one of the best times for comedy,” says Praw, citing the upcoming second edition of the Netflix comedy festival as proof. “We are working with more than 400 comedians and selling out shows all over Los Angeles. We also see a wide range of comedians — with different styles and from different backgrounds — getting love on Netflix.”
But even as the comedy business has expanded, it still struggles to afford equal opportunity to comedians of color, according to John Leguizamo, who will be among the honorees at Variety’s Power of Comedy event on March 8.
“I’m glad there’s plenty of comedy out there and that it has become more diverse, but unfortunately, Latin comedians are having to live on just TikTok and the ’Gram, where they reach millions and millions of views,” says Leguizamo. “Unfortunately, Latin comedians, despite their success on social media, are not being chased by Hollywood or streamers, and that’s just systemic racism that happens in Hollywood.”
As the comedy business evolves, both Hirsch and Rath say they see only growth and great diversity of talent ahead for the industry.
“Comedians are relevant,” says Rath. “People love it. It’s good entertainment. The best comics always surface and have success because they are funny and talented. The problem is the audience’s attention span has shifted. That’s the biggest issue for comedy.”
