Is Crowd Work Ruining Live Stand-Up Comedy?

Short answer, no. It’s often a really amazing part of any stand up comedy show. But there’s a new craze around crowd work and it’s high replay value on instagram and tiktok, leaving many comics wondering “why am I even writing material?” In this article, we’re going to look at how crowd work fits into a comics set, why it’s so great for social media and how that increases a comedian's “bookability”, and why it might be diminishing the experience you have at a live stand up comedy show. 

If you’ve ever sat front row at a comedy show, you’ve probably been asked really personal and inappropriate questions by a comic and publically roasted regardless of what you replied. Comedians are more often than not incredibly witty, spending thousands of hours studying word play, “what do you call a gay boat? A FERRY!” Or comparing two wildly different things like Patrice O’Neal did in Elephant in the Room when he posited that men treat sex like fishing for sport (check out that special here it’s so good)

Comics are generally good at thinking on their feet. So when they think they can riff on the crowd they’re eager to do so.

Why?

Because it’s an easy way to win over the crowd by connecting with them directly with your organic wit. One of the hardest parts about stand up comedy is taking the material you’ve spent hours writing, taking it on stage, and making it seem like it’s the first time you’ve ever said it. And the audience can easily tell if a bit is overly rehearsed. But, if a comic can master that, they’re well on their way to a netflix special. Every comic gets into comedy because they’ve spent a certain number of years cracking jokes with their friends and getting big laughs. Walking into a lame party and going “well at least it’s better than that one time at Jesse’s!” All of your friends remember the one time at Jesse’s. 

That’s easy. 

What’s difficult about comedy is illustrating the context to a room full of strangers who have no idea who Jesse is. That’s why it takes years for comics to develop an act that’s beloved by all (most) who hear it.

Now, because comics know crowd work is an easy way to get the laughs they so desperately crave, we create crowd work bits - this is what we call “canned heat.” Is there an old person in the front row? Great, I have 3 minutes of killer material on that. I’ll point it out to the crowd and pretend like I didn't scope him out before my set….  “damn sir you are f**ckin OLD!” That immediately gets a laugh - then go into the material on old people I’ve spent two years perfecting.  

While you think they’re making it up on the fly, more often than not, they’re not. They’ve been here before. Crowd work is not necessarily safe for comics…they might not think of something witty enough on the fly and then be faced with a sea of silent eyes watching, waiting for the next joke. So,they pad the stats as often as they can, writing jokes around previous crowd working moments they’ve had and failed at. 

What’s the big deal? This is a fun part of a standup comedy show and I like watching crowd work clips on instagram and tiktok.

Me too. 

Here’s where it gets weird. So we’ve established that crowd work can be a useful tool in a comics tool belt. But it’s one tool in a belt that would’ve been too big to hold up Jareds pre-Subway fat pants. 

Every single up and coming comic wants to get big on social media. Every. Single. One. Every comedian is familiar with the rise of social media stars like Andrew Schulz and Matt Rife. They set the standard for online content. Both of them blew up posting their crowd work clips. 

Many comics prefer posting their crowd work clips, it allows their viewers to get to know them, without posting material they want you to come see live.

But then something strange happened. The instagram and tik tok algorithm made it abundantly clear that they’re going to push crowd work clips over material. Making it an appetizing staple in any comedian's diet. They get the best of both worlds right? More views, more followers, and more fans all without posting their juicy bits. Sounds awesome. However, every comic is familiar with this process. Here comes the trouble - the newbies know about it too. 

The Becky Dilemma:

It takes YEARS to get good at stand up comedy. Like seriously so long I don’t know why anyone does it. I’ve met comics in New York City that have been at it for 10-12 years and still suck. It’s not an easy career! 

So in comes my made up example Becky. Becky’s been doing comedy for about a year, she’s got 100k followers on TikTok after going viral for posting a half nude video of herself reviewing air fryers. Becky has 10 minutes of shit material but records every single one of her sets on her iPhone. During her 10 minute cringe worthy set, she makes a one-off comment about the couple in the front row who claim they’re just friends - the whole room ERUPTS. She posts that clip on instagram and now it looks like she’s a killer comic. That video goes viral and she gets another 10,000 followers on instagram. 

Now, when she reaches out to comedy bookers, they see the vanity clout on her socials and decide to book her. People come in and recognize her from social media and they’re fricken STOKED. Then they leave feeling like they got catfished because they had to endure her awful set. BUT, Becky snuck in another witty crowd working moment which she captured on her phone and plans to post on Instagram. That post immediately has more traction than her last post because of her increased follower count and begets her more followers, more bookings, and more opportunities to capture the next crowd work moment. 

Becky’s not even writing jokes anymore. Who needs them? She’s getting everything she wants.... Shows, followers, attention. Her comedic toolbelt has one hammer in it. But to the untrained eye, she’s up there with Louis CK. How could you, the viewer, possibly know that she bombs 99/100 times? You want to get off your phone and see this hot instagram comedy live! 

Most comedy clubs, minus the comedy cellar, are booking off of instagram clout. It’s awful. Some comics who are incredibly talented writers are having a hard time getting booked because their social media isn’t up to snuff. So now you have to go watch Becky talk about how hard her life is even though she’s hot and grew up in a 5,000 sq foot house in the suburbs. 

So, how do you avoid this? Go to comedy shows where you can trust the bookers. The Comedy Cellar is more often than not an unbelievable time. You can see the most famous comics practicing their material on a weekend night. But, if you’re not interested in going to a comedy club and want a more unique comedy experience, you can check out “Damn That’s Funny!” aka DTF Comedy - a pop up comedy club that turns interesting places into completely unique comedy clubs. Check out dtfcomedy.com

If you absolutely LOVE crowd work and want to see the greats. I recommend checking out Mark Normand, Andrew Schulz, Sam Morril, or go see the live version of the show “Are You Garbage.” Most seasoned comedians are incredible crowd workers - in my opinion these are just a few of the greats. They’re so unique in their craft and delivery and very rarely miss.