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Catherine O’Hara, who died Friday at age 71, was a foundational figure in modern sketch and improvisational comedy. A Toronto native, O’Hara got her start at Second City Toronto: first as a waitress, then as an understudy for Gilda Radner, before breaking out on SCTV. She later became a mainstream icon through films like Home Alone and Beetlejuice.

In a 2019 New Yorker interview, O’Hara reflected on her early improv training and shared a simple rule she relied on as a young performer: “When in doubt, play insane.” The approach, developed during her Second City years, became a defining part of her comedy style and carried through her later work, from Christopher Guest’s films to Schitt’s Creek.

Most comedy clubs rely on a familiar formula: sell drinks, staff the room, and make up for thin ticket margins at the bar. In an interview with Jad Sleiman, co-owner of Bushwick Comedy Club, he explains why the club operates on a Bring-Your-Own (BYO)-style model that minimizes labor costs and prioritizes engaged audiences over drink minimums.

By replacing the traditional bar-driven approach and focusing revenue on tickets, the club has created a smoother flow, faster show turnover, and a reliable business model. An excerpt of the interview is below.

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I asked Reddit if any comedy producers know what actually makes shows profitable. Should you invest more in marketing, higher ticket pricing, word of mouth? Here were some standout replies:

→ 1) Ads help. Target your audience. I made a little series on how to do that. Going to update soon, but this should help. 2) $10-$15 ticket price is doable these days. 3) Event in Facebook. Have comics invite. Social media posts. 4) Once you know your expenses, deduct from ticket sales and then that is your split. Sometimes as a producer you eat some $, if you choose, to get the show off the ground. 5) Just be honest with comics on pay. Nobody should get paid in exposure. Even $10 is something.

(This guy made a whole video playlist on how to create a successful comedy show and market it well.)

→ If it's a local talent show, most people won't pay more than say $20 per ticket. Above that, and they generally want to see someone that's got a bit of fame to them. Assuming a 100 seat room, that's $2,000 in ticket sales. Most rooms I see are typically around 50-75 seats, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

Out of that $2,000 in ticket sales, you've got comic pay, which should be typically several hundred dollars (total), advertisements (assuming $100-$200 depending on how complex the ad campaign is), and other misc expenses. Total on that should be around 50% or so of your sales? So you'd be left with roughly $1,000 in that scenario. However, because it's generally a 50-75 seat room, breaking even is typically what you can expect unless you get a piece of the food/drink sales. Most places that I've seen in the Portland Oregon metro area will do a comedy night where the promotion gets tickets and the space gets the food/drink, so that might be a hard sell.

I control both in my upcoming club, with 300 seats available, but in my projections, I'm basically breaking even with my costs (Staff, utilities, COGS, etc.). It absolutely can be done, but you'll have to tweak your formula.

→ If you're making money from ticket sales, then selling more tickets is obviously good. Facebook ads work, Google ads don't. Paper flyers in the walkable downtown area seem to act as a multiplier on social media ads, but having both is more than twice as good as one or the other. A venue that has organic foot traffic and will cooperate by putting up show flyers or table tents is better yet.

I like to put the event on Eventbrite first, then add it to Facebook from there, and then boost the event to people within 50 miles whose interests include things like "stand-up comedy" and "viral video" and "humor." If you don't give the Facebook ad a little nudge it takes forever to learn who's gonna engage and you need to allow more time ahead of the show for the ads to start working.

A huge part of making money is structuring a deal that can make money. I like an 80/20 door deal with the venue, so that they've got some incentive to help promote. If you rent the venue, they've already made their money off you, and they tend to be unhelpful at best and harmful at worst. This is especially true for venues who insist on running their own ticketing (which means you can't set up a conversion pixel so facebook figures out your audience better). If you do pay a rental, do the math and make sure that it is even mathematically possible to make money on the deal.

I have not noticed any price sensitivity between the $10 and $20 level - people decide whether or not to go to the show based on whether they have time, not whether $20 is too much. That varies in larger cities with more entertainment options, where $10 or $15 makes the show more appealing.

A consistent date - "last Thursday of every month" or "every Friday" - allows some momentum that ad-hoc shows don't, but it also creates a responsibility and a logistical lift that might not be worth it, and it takes time for that consistency to start paying the dividends. I wrote this last year; I'll probably do another post in the same vein sometime this year.

One of the most prominent stand-up focused films in years struggled to find an audience in theaters. Is This Thing On?, directed by Bradley Cooper and starring Will Arnett and Laura Dern, grossed just $2.4 million across roughly 1,475 theaters and finished its domestic run at a little over $6 million. The film had its wide U.S. theatrical release on December 19, 2025, earning strong critical reviews but limited commercial traction.

The Hollywood Comedy released an official statement after an open mic was disrupted by YouTube influencers the Kalogeras Sisters, whose vlog from the club triggered a wave of harassment against the venue and its performers.

According to the club, the influencers, who have more than 7 million YouTube subscribers, did not sign up for the open mic, filmed comedians without consent despite repeated requests to stop, and later posted a video that exaggerated and misrepresented their experience. After the vlog circulated, fans allegedly flooded the club with thousands of racist and sexist one-star reviews and issued credible death threats toward staff and comics.

Legion of Skanks comedians Dave Smith, Luis J. Gomez and Jay Oakerson broke down the situation on their podcast.

→ Alexander Skarsgård hosted SNL as the show reached its 1,000th episode with Cardi B returning as musical guest. The episode marked Skarsgård’s debut as the first Swedish-born host, featured surprise cameos from his father Stellan Skarsgård, and opened with Pete Davidson returning to play ICE head Tom Homan.

→ Teyana Taylor–hosted SNL posted mixed ratings as the January 24 episode drew 4.1 million total viewers but fell sharply among adults 18–49. The show ranked as the season’s third-highest episode overall while becoming its second-lowest-rated in the demo, highlighting SNL’s ongoing split between audience growth and younger-viewer erosion.

→ Kenan Thompson and Mikey Day landed Super Bowl ads. Kenan Thompson fronts a Novo Nordisk spot alongside DJ Khaled and former castmate Ana Gasteyer, while Mikey Day stars in a Eos skincare ad playing off his Is It Cake? persona. The Super Bowl slate also includes former SNLers Andy Samberg and Tim Robinson in high-profile brand parodies.

→ Joe Rogan refused to submit The Joe Rogan Experience for Best Podcast at the Golden Globes, revealing he declined to enter after learning the submission fee was $500. I didn’t submit,” Rogan explained to comedian Bert Kreischer. “They asked me to submit to be nominated for the Golden Globes and you had to pay $500. And the $500 is like for paperwork or whatever. I said no.”

→ Bert Kreischer said he skipped the Riyadh Comedy Festival after learning he wouldn’t be allowed to perform shirtless.

→ Ronny Chieng became the voice of NYC subway PSAs after teaming up with the MTA to record new on-platform announcements calling out commuter etiquette. The Daily Show host joins fellow late-nighter Kenan Thompson, who previously recorded subway PSAs. You can listen to one of Ronny’s announcements here.

→ Underground Comedy Railroad returns for its 14th annual tour celebrating Black History Month with a nationwide Black comedy showcase across Canada. Founded by Rodney Ramsey and Daniel Woodrow, the tour highlights top Black Canadian comedians with stops in Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal.

→ Impractical Jokers scored its top-rated episode ever among adults 25–54 as the series returned for the second half of Season 12 on TBS. The surge marks massive growth for the long-running prank series starring Brian Quinn, James Murray, and Sal Vulcano, making it the No. 1 non-sports cable telecast of 2026 so far.

→ Golden Comedy released its 2026 Comedians to Watch list, spotlighting a wide-ranging group of rising performers the outlet says reflect where comedy is headed next: smarter, sillier, more personal, more global, and more genuine.

→ British Comedy Guide named the winner of its Next Big Thing 2025 award, part of a new annual prize designed to identify future comedy superstars and elevate acts poised to break into wider public recognition.

→ Willamette Week named Portland’s Funniest People for 2026, spotlighting a peer-selected group of local comedians whose work reflects the city’s comedic voice.

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