Is Now A Bad Time To Become A Comedian?

Was there ever a good time?

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press photo, c. 2008. photo credit: Doug Jaeger

The comedy industry has changed and morphed substantially over the years. I’ve heard people talk about “the good old days of comedy” when they were “handing out TV shows” (the 1980s and 90s?) ; a “comedy boom” when everyone was raking in the big bucks, and more recently, slices of time where “everyone was getting their own streaming comedy show.”

In the last couple posts I’ve written, I’ve been exploring the financials of the comedy industry, including salaries of some of the big names in comedy, such as Jerry Seinfeld, who is reportedly earning some $60 million a year. (Jessica Seinfeld is doing OK, too, and she’s not even a comedian.)

If you are thinking of getting into comedy now (or staying in comedy), don’t read LinkedIn, which is full of doom and gloom about how the entertainment industry is imploding. I even saw a post by a television executive who’d been laid off and was asking for help finding a new job. (I couldn’t help but feel a little conflicted, imagining the many times I’ve knocked on television development exec’s doors and gotten no answer. I hope she lands somewhere good; maybe being dragged across the coals will offer some humility or a new perspective and she’ll try harder to help others. And dogs might meow.)

I’ve been noticing posts like this for about the past 6 months or so, since the writer’s strike happened, paired with a boost in increase in popularity of AI.

Meanwhile, other articles I’ve been reading are saying that influencers and creators have countless options to earn big right now. And if you haven’t noticed, a lot of influencers and creators are cranking out comedy. (I will write a post about whether or not influencers and content creators are actually comedians or not another time.)

If you were to ask anyone, “Should I be a comedian?” almost inevitably, the answer will be no, especially if it is anyone who truly cares about you. They may think they are “looking out for you,” as they assume that the chances of you finding “success” as a comedian, i.e., that you’d become rich and famous or even just able to make a reasonable living as a comedian, would be low.

But in today’s world, more than ever, I truly believe that anything is possible. If my child told me they wanted to be a comedian or any kind of professional artist, I think I might even encourage them, because there are so many avenues to success in really whatever the field is that you want to achieve in, and ways to survive and even thrive there.

I keep returning to this sentiment: being a stand up comedian is to be a small business owner, and in order to rise to the top in this business, there is a need, now more than ever, to find ways to be unique and offer services that others aren’t offering. That might include jokes on certain topics, or a unique type of content, or, whatever, the creativity part of this is up to you.

But when I hear people talk about how it’s a bad time to be a comedian, or that the industry is crumbling, or whatever else people are saying in that vein, I wonder, “What are your goals as a comedian?” If it’s to strike it rich, what industry does offer high chances of that? I’m not sure (bridge engineer?), but I might not pick comedian as my first choice job title if my goal was only to get rich.

Check out these fun infographics:

List of the highest paying jobs in America…. I notice that comedian is missing.

“Comedian” is never listed as a job title; it’s always vague. Wonder why that is?

But also, it’s important to have some faith. Success in this business requires luck, but it also requires skill, grit, determination and, yes, maybe a good business plan. Good contacts don’t hurt, either (or the ability to make them).

Ultimately, there’s no good time to take the kinds of risks required to become a successful professional comedian and thrive in this industry. You might as well do it now, while you’re willing to take the chance, or else you might never do it.

If you’re not sure, go do something else for a while and see if not pursuing comedy doesn’t eat you alive. I’ve had other jobs while I’ve been a comedian, but I’ve always had the biggest piece of my mind and heart and plans in comedy. I really can’t imagine doing anything else for money with the kind of weird, obsessive love and passion I have for this insane business.

Can you?

Daily musings:

• What are the highest paying jobs in the U.S.? | Forbes

• Occupational employment and wage stats | US Bureau of Labor Statistics

• Women’s earnings were 83.6% of men’s in 2023 | The Economics Daily

• Benefits of positive thinking for body and mind | Verywell

• The comedy lifestyle: the good, the bad and the ugly | blcomedy

Etc.:

• Comedy info galore — $70 annual subscription! | Subscribe

• 6/8’s Poconos Underground Comedy (my show + birthday party) | EventBrite

• Subscribe for sneak peaks at my new NSFW comedy album | OnlyFans

• Your ad to 8k+ comedy fans for $40/wk | jess delfino at gmail dot com

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  Nighty night, bud.