Your guide to the world of comedy — May 17, 2026
Welcome to The Jokebook, your weekly update on comedy. This week:
The Economics of a Nonprofit Comedy Theater
Post-Mortem on the Roast
AI Poster Slop
Comedy Headlines
Specials, Jobs, Fests, and Submissions
For more than 20 years, Jon Carr has been part of Dad’s Garage, Atlanta’s iconic improv comedy theater, rising from student to Artistic Director. Along the way, he worked as an executive producer for Second City. Today, he oversees production, programming, and donor relations.
Dad’s Garage operates a diversified nonprofit model of ticket sales, classes, and contributed income. That mix, Carr says, is one of the organization’s biggest strengths. “We are not dependent on any one thing to survive,” he explains. When one revenue stream dips, others can help stabilize the business. Below are a few of Carr’s lessons from running a nonprofit comedy venue.
1. The Most Successful Shows Aren’t Always the Broadest Ones
One of Carr’s observations is that niche programming often outperforms general-audience comedy. The theater has seen the most success with themed productions like Dungeons and Dragons improv and a ‘90s sitcom-inspired show.
2. Ticket Sales Are About More Than Marketing
Ticket prices depend on the day and format, ranging from free student jams to premium scripted productions. Fridays and Saturdays remain the theater’s primary revenue-driving slots, while midweek programming serves a different purpose.
“Wednesday nights are always a challenge for us. Instead of pouring money into selling tickets, we pivoted those nights toward community engagement.”
Carr says attendance is a balancing act between marketing and quality of the show itself. “Sometimes when your show is not doing well, it might not be the marketing. It might be because your show is bad and no one has told you that.” Despite the rise of digital advertising and social media promotion, Carr believes the strongest driver of attendance remains personal recommendation.
3. Fan Preferences Always Change
One of the audience shifts Carr has noticed is when people want to see comedy. “One of our biggest nights used to be Saturdays at 10:30. We’d consistently bring in 100 to 120 people. Now we’re lucky if we get 40 to 50.” Now, 8 p.m. shows have become the theater’s strongest-performing slots.
Carr says their venue has to adapt to changes in comedy. “Tastes in comedy and what sells and what gets people excited has evolved. It’s a real priority to consistently make sure we have our fingers on the pulse of what is working and what’s not working.”
What We Learned From Kevin Hart’s Roast
The Roast of Kevin Hart and this year’s Netflix Is a Joke festival were a snapshot of where the comedy industry is heading. Here’s what we saw:
Jason Zinoman observed that the 2026 Netflix Is a Joke festival reflected comedy’s growing “attention economy,” where podcasts, gossip, crossover appearances, and live events increasingly matter as much as stand-up itself.
Producer Barry Avrich argued that Netflix stretched the roast format beyond its limits with a three-hour runtime, celebrity-heavy lineup, and overly polished production that lost the intimacy of older Comedy Central roasts.
Comedian Matt Ruby wrote that the backlash to the roast reflected how social media strips roast comedy of context. He also criticized the roast’s bloated live-arena structure and Netflix’s approach as feeling like a “recurring roast subscription plan” built around Kevin Hart’s celebrity ecosystem.
The AI Comedy Flyer Epidemic
A Reddit post this week points out the trend of AI-generated comedy flyers on Instagram with an overly polished look.
Comedy Headlines
TV & Film
A Netflix documentary on Martin Short, Marty: Life Is Short, premiered last week.
Will Ferrell and Paul McCartney hosted yesterday’s SNL Season 51 finale.
Conan O’Brien returns as Oscars host for a third time in 2027.
Michael Che criticized the writing staff behind The Roast of Kevin Hart, joking that a roast of one of comedy’s biggest Black comics relied heavily on white joke writers.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert reveals its guest lineup for its final week on CBS, including Jon Stewart and Steven Spielberg, with a finale on May 21. They also added more to the show’s charity auction on eBay here.
Jury Duty lands a Season 3 renewal at Prime Video.
Netflix releases the trailer for 72 Hours, a Kevin Hart comedy with SNL cast members Marcello Hernández and Kam Patterson. Trailer here.
Variety interviews SNL newcomers like Veronika Slowikowska about auditions, internet backlash, and their first season on the show.
CNN comedy show Have I Got News for You returns for Season 5, with Roy Wood Jr. continuing the satirical series.
Sarah Sherman, Josh Johnson, and Ego Nwodim join the voice cast for CoComelon: The Movie.
Judd Apatow’s comedy The Comeback King adds comedians like Kumail Nanjiani and Mike Birbiglia to its cast.
The Scene
Mel Brooks donates nearly 15,000 documents and 5,000 photos to the National Comedy Center, including early Spaceballs scripts and handwritten comedy notes spanning his career.
Luke Girgis at The Black Hoody argues that Netflix specials no longer drive ticket sales for comedians, with YouTube now serving as stand-up’s primary audience growth engine.
The Improv returns to New York City for the first time in 30 years with a new Brooklyn comedy club and training center partnership with The Second City.
Shane Gillis appears in the first music video for Drake’s new album ICEMAN, playing a police officer trapped in the backseat while Drake’s son joyrides. Music video here.
SNL cast member Jeremy Culhane’s comedy podcast Artists on Artists on Artists on Artists joins Will Ferrell’s Big Money Players podcast network alongside shows from Bowen Yang, Ego Nwodim, and Robert Smigel.
Roast writer Madison Sinclair discusses cut jokes and celebrity writers’ rooms in a Q&A interview with Playboy following The Roast of Kevin Hart.
Matt Grobar interviews Atsuko Okatsuka about her Hulu special Father and unconventional path into stand-up.
Comedian Matt Ruby writes about the rise of the “clip economy” in stand-up and argues that online comedy culture rewards gossip clips and podcast drama more than actual stand-up specials, warning that algorithms are reshaping joke structure and audience tastes.
Specials, Releases, Tours
New specials from Ben Morrison (Prime/Apple, May 19), Wanda Sykes (Netflix, May 19), Shane Mauss (YouTube, May 19), and Josh Johnson (Symphony, HBO, May 22).
Mike Epps signs a new Netflix deal for two additional stand-up specials following the success of Mike Epps: Delusional.
Festivals This Month
Rogue Island Comedy Festival · May 21–24 · Newport, Rhode Island
Vail Comedy Festival · May 22–24 · Vail, Colorado
Bath Fringe Festival · May 22–June 7 · Bath, England
Wells Comedy Festival · May 22–24 · Wells, Somerset, England
Prague Fringe Festival · May 22–30 · Prague, Czech Republic
Cambridge Fringe Festival · May 23–24 · Cambridge, England
Submissions
Let’s Fest Comedy Festival · September 3–6, 2026 · Indianapolis, Indiana. Selected comedians receive at least two feature spots, payment for performances, reimbursement of submission fee, and a one-night hotel stay. Fee: $25 through May 30, $30 June 1–15. Deadline: June 15, 2026. Submit here.
Acme’s Funniest Person In The Twin Cities · Summer 2026 · Minneapolis, Minnesota. Amateur-only competition with 3-minute sets. Winner receives $1,000 and title of Funniest Person In The Twin Cities. Contestants receive 10 free tickets for their performance night. Fee: None listed. Contest starts May 20 and continues through the summer. Submit here.
Sketchfest Chicago · September 30–October 3, 2026 · Chicago, Illinois. Selected groups receive performance opportunities in a curated festival lineup and exposure to Chicago’s sketch comedy scene. Fee: $30. Deadline: May 27, 2026. Submit here.
Big Diamond Comedy Festival · October 22–24, 2026 · Bentonville, Arkansas. Selected comedians receive two paid spots, shared Airbnb lodging, access to an industry panel, and comic activities including archery and swimming hole outings. Fee: $40 ($20 for Arkansas-based comedians). Deadline: May 31, 2026. Submit here.
Full list of festival submissions on our site here. We’re also partnering with Inside Comedy to track festival submissions better!
Comedy Jobs
Steel City Arts Foundation Grants are rolling grants for stand-up comedians pursuing comedy as a primary career. Applicants must be 18+, have performed stand-up at least 50 times, and have at least one year of comedy experience. Grants range from $200–$1,000 and require a 5+ minute stand-up video submission. No application fee. Applications accepted on a rolling basis. Apply here.
Virtual Improv Project Content Creators for Virtual Improv – Remote. Recurring contract. $50/session.
Unnamed NYC Comedy Club (possibly Gotham, unconfirmed) Night Hosts – Chelsea, NYC. Part-time. $17–19/hr.
Magooby’s Joke House Comedy Club Hostess – Lutherville-Timonium, MD. Part-time. $16–18/hr.
Casting Calls / One-Offs
Independent Comedy Creator Cameraperson for Amateur Short Comedy Skits – Chicago. Gig work. $200 for 2 hours.
ATN Event Staffing $25/hr Event Staff – Comedy Show – Verona, NY. One-night event. $25/hr + $50 referral bonus.
The Cutting Room NYC Casting / Audience Call for Chanel Omari Comedy Special – New York City. Live event. Unpaid.
That’s The Jokebook — your Sunday comedy update. Have something to share? Message us at [email protected].