Welcome to The Jokebook, your Sunday update on comedy. This week:

Netflix Is a Joke Fest unveiled its first-wave lineup for the mega-festival’s third edition that will take over Los Angeles from May 4–10 across 35 venues and feature 350+ live shows.

Hosted by Jon Stewart, the initial slate includes a Flight of the Conchords reunion, appearances from Steve Carell, Jerry Seinfeld, Seth Rogen, Jelly Roll, and Eric André, plus headlining sets from Nate Bargatze, Shane Gillis, Nikki Glaser, John Mulaney, Katt Williams. Festival highlights also include a show pairing SNL’s Marcello Hernández with Latin music star Feid.

The fest will also be a launchpad for new Netflix originals. Martin Short will be the subject of the documentary Marty, Life Is Short, with a red-carpet screening on May 4 during the festival ahead of its May 12 streaming release. The film is billed as the “definitive” portrait of the Saturday Night Live alum.

Podcasts and live conversations are again central to the lineup, with live tapings of The Pete Davidson Show, Kill Tony, This Past Weekend with Theo Von, Tim Dillon, Fly on the Wall with David Spade, plus a two-night conversation with David Letterman interviewing Martin Short and John Mulaney.

Tickets for Netflix Is a Joke Fest went on sale January 23. Deadline has a full list of performances and events.

You’ve likely seen the meme of a 3D-animated jester in a floppy, bell-tipped hat performing a jig for a skeptical-looking queen. It’s become the internet’s go-to for a guy trying to impress a girl.

Here’s the thing: real court jesters didn’t look like that. A while back, we spoke with Beatrice K. Otto, a historian and author of the award-winning book Fools Are Everywhere. Her research spans jesters from China to the Americas.

She told us that the "cap and bells" look was more of an artistic trope: a way for painters and writers to signal a character was a fool rather than what a jester actually wore to work. "My feeling,” Otto told us, “is that in general, they didn't wear the cap and bells and that kind of multicolored party cloth, certainly in medieval times. They're wearing what other people wore in the court. They're wearing the standard clothing of the period."

You can read our full interview with Beatrice Otto here.

Most comedy shows stick to one lane: stand-up or improv. But Soup of the Day, a weekly comedy show in New York City hosted and produced by Shawn Kinnear, does both, and it’s working. The weekly show has built a consistent audience by alternating stand-up comics and improv teams throughout the night, creating strong pacing, shared context, and a different energy in the room. Given how well the format performs, it’s surprising more producers don’t try it.

An excerpt from that conversation is below.

How did your weekly comedy show Soup of the Day start?

“Soup of the Day started as a single troupe of about 25 people who all did both stand-up and improv. When the show was bi-weekly, we’d rotate who did stand-up and who did improv each week, so everyone stayed involved. Once it became weekly, the format itself started to feel like too much to sustain at that pace because it was a lot for one team to carry every week. That’s when I began bringing in guest teams and guest stand-ups. Since then, we’ve had performers from all over the country and even internationally, and the show has just continued to grow."

What does the show look like now in terms of structure and format?

“The format has evolved a lot. In its current form, it’s always six stand-up comics and two improv or sketch teams, usually improv. The order is always stand-ups, improv team, stand-ups, improv team, stand-ups. Stand-ups usually do anywhere from five to ten minutes. Improv teams get fifteen to twenty-five minutes. With that format, the show runs about ninety minutes."

Why do you think mixing stand-up and improv works so well in the same show?

“It really breaks up the monotony. [Some are] not always psyched about seeing eight stand-ups back to back to back. The improv adds another level of entertainment and changes the pacing. Stand-ups also get to see good improv. A lot of people think improv sucks because they’ve only seen beginner shows. When it’s good, it’s really, really good. It gives stand-ups a chance to appreciate that, and it gives the improv teams a different kind of audience.

There’s also a lot of crossover. Bits from stand-up sets naturally find their way into the improv, and the stand-ups can comment on the improv when they come back up. Everyone just watched the same crazy thing together, so there’s already shared context. That usually gets a great reaction from the audience for the stand-up comics.”

You don’t see many shows doing this regularly. Was that intentional?

“It wasn’t intentional at all. It just felt natural because I do both, and early on everyone I worked with did both. As the show got bigger, people started telling me, 'This is really different'. I didn’t set out to do something unique. It just turned out that way, and people really respond to the energy of it.”

Does the improv affect how stand-ups perform when they come back on stage?

“Yeah, absolutely. If a stand-up goes up right after an improv set, there’s a ton to comment on because everyone has it fresh in their head. Stand-ups usually don’t just jump straight into their material. They’ll make a few remarks about what just happened because it’s topical and shared. That’s a guaranteed laugh from the audience. It creates this “we’re all in on this together” energy before they even get into their set.

Also, bits from stand-up naturally find their way into the improv. You can look out in the crowd and see stand-ups smiling because they recognize something they said earlier being played out on stage in a scene.”

Some people have a negative perception of improv. Does this format help change that?

“Definitely. Stand-ups usually have an idea of what improv is, but a lot of people have only seen bad improv. If your only experience is your friend’s 101 graduation show, you’re going to think improv sucks, and you’re not wrong in that case.

When improv is good, it’s really, really good. This format gives stand-ups and audience members a chance to see high-level improv in a setting they already trust. It gives improvs their props, and it shows how strong it can be when it’s done well.”

Do improv teams and stand-ups bring different kinds of energy or audiences?

"Improv teams tend to bring more people. Instead of one person inviting one or two friends, you’ve got five people on a team each bringing groups of friends, so it becomes more of a night out.

Back when the show was just starting and still small, having improv teams was especially helpful, even if no one brought extra guests, because there was already a built-in group of people in the room. That really helped fill out the space and make the show feel alive.”

In addition to producing and performing, Shawn teaches improv classes. You can follow Soup of the Day on Instagram or check Meetup for Shawn’s upcoming classes.

Two weeks ago, we shared a chart of the top-grossing comedy tours of 2025, based on data from Billboard Boxscores. Recently, the actual Jerry Seinfeld decided to comment on our post, asking, "Are you sure you got everybody…..?"

We responded with a new post, just for him.

→ SNL UK continued building its team after naming Lisa Clark, a Top Gear and Nightwatch veteran, as commissioning executive. The upcoming British adaptation of Saturday Night Live is still awaiting a cast announcement and premiere date ahead of its launch on Sky Max and NOW.

→ Shane Gillis took over Madison Square Garden this week after playing three sold-out nights there alongside surprise appearances from Michael Che and Louis C.K.. The run marked Gillis’ first time headlining MSG and capped a breakout stretch that has seen him sell out arenas worldwide and cement his status as one of comedy’s biggest draws right now.

→ Teyana Taylor hosted Saturday Night Live yesterday alongside musical guest Geese. The singer-actor recently drew major buzz for her breakout role in One Battle After Another.

→ Amy Poehler’s podcast Good Hang is breaking out after climbing to No. 2 on Spotify’s charts, right behind The Joe Rogan Experience at No. 1. Since winning the first-ever Golden Globe for Best Podcast earlier this month, Poehler’s celebrity talk show has become one of the most-streamed shows on the platform. The rise has sparked conversation in media circles, with Bill Maher blasting the Golden Globes for snubbing Rogan’s top-ranked show and urging Hollywood elites to “get out of your f***ing bubble.”

→ Bert Kreischer premiered in a new Netflix series Free Bert on January 22. The six-episode series has Kreischer as a fictionalized version of himself: a high-energy stand-up and dad balancing family life with his chaotic persona.

→ SNL ratings slipped after Finn Wolfhard’s hosting debut, with the January 17 episode drawing 4.8 million total viewers. Despite a Stranger Things–fueled monologue and viral sketches, the show fell 23 percent week over week and dropped 29 percent in the 18–49 demo.

→ Colin Jost will return as host of Pop Culture Jeopardy! after locking in a new deal with Netflix.

→ Chloe Fineman will join Prime Video’s Red, White & Royal Blue sequel for Red, White & Royal Wedding.

→ Jimmy Kimmel warned viewers after responding to a new FCC notice signaling increased scrutiny of political guests on late-night TV. Kimmel said his show may once again need public support, as FCC chair Brendan Carr’s agency issued guidance suggesting candidate appearances on late-night talk shows may no longer be presumed exempt from federal equal-time rules.

→ Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell are re-teaming after announcing a new buddy horror-comedy titled Kenan & Kel Meet Frankenstein. The film reunites the longtime comedy partners as delivery drivers who cross paths with Frankenstein’s monster, marking the duo’s latest collaboration following Good Burger 2 and their recent All That revival work.

→ Tony Scar became the latest golden ticket winner on Kill Tony after delivering a standout one-minute set followed by a musical bit about a homeless love story.

→ A Reddit user built a new tool for comedy fans after launching Chimpipi, a site that aggregates stand-up shows from comedy clubs to help users find performances near them.

→ State of Comedy published an in-depth interview after focusing on Cultivating Success as an Independent Podcast Company with Erica Getto and Myrriah Gossett, co-founders of Good Get Productions. The conversation explores how the duo are building an audio-first comedy collective outside traditional studio systems.

→ Ontonio Kareem made his late-night debut after appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on January 19.

→ Nate Bargatze shared advice for fellow comedians after appearing on Hot Breath Pod, urging comics not to get comfortable and warning that comfort can be “dangerous” for creative growth.

One fun thing: Druski went viral after dropping a high-production parody skewering mega-pastors and their lavish lifestyles. Druski can be seen suspended with air cannons and gospel music blasting.

One not fun thing: Comedian Christian Zaragoza had salsa thrown at him during a set after being interrupted at the Los Angeles comedy show Pupusas and Punchlines.

→ SF Sketchfest (Jan. 15–Feb. 1, 2026, San Francisco, CA) — San Francisco’s long-running comedy festival celebrating sketch, improv, stand-up, and alternative comedy across venues citywide. Tickets and/or Info. Full lineup here.

→ FRINGE WORLD (Jan. 21–Feb. 15, 2026, Perth, Australia) — One of the world’s largest Fringe festivals, featuring comedy, cabaret, theatre, music, circus, and more across venues throughout greater Perth. The festival draws hundreds of thousands each year and is Western Australia’s largest annual arts event. Tickets and/or Info. 

→ Charleston Comedy Week (Jan. 24–31, 2026, Charleston, SC) — A citywide comedy week across Charleston clubs featuring headliners like Sherri Shepherd, Pete Holmes, Tim Heidecker with Neil Hamburger, Tom Papa, Ms. Pat, alongside local improv, stand-up, and sketch scene. Tickets on sale now. Tickets and/or Info.

→ The Last Word Comedy Festival (Jan. 29–Feb. 1, 2026, Williamsburg, VA) — A multi-day comedy festival featuring improv and sketch across Williamsburg. Tickets and passes for 2026 are on sale now, with headliners including Bluebird Improv and cast from Whose Live Anyway? Tickets and/or Info.

These submissions close very soon!

Here's some specials coming out this month, courtesy of the January Special Release Radar (via @comediandiscovery):

That’s The Jokebook — your Sunday comedy update. Have something to share? Message us at [email protected].