Your guide to the world of comedy — May 24, 2026

This week:

  • The DIY Comedy Economy

  • End of America’s Late Night Era

  • Netflix Roast Viewership Released

  • Comedy Headlines

  • Specials, Jobs, Fests, and Submissions

Mark Masters is a scrappy comedian entrepreneur. When he hits the road, he sleeps in his car for weeks while hauling gear to set up shows. He produces about 75 shows a year, mostly in Colorado, and runs both the Vail and Mountain Fresh Comedy Festivals. His shows regularly sell out.

It’s often a one-man show, and it’s not exactly a breeze. As he tells me, his days are “mostly sitting in front of my laptop trying to get butts in seats.”

Over the past few years, he’s built a DIY comedy operation in Colorado, with pop-up and regular shows (Vail Comedy Show) to festivals and an emerging comedy film scene. He just decided to do this, and it’s an example that independent comedians can build their own comedy networks outside industry gatekeepers.

Mark has learned a few lessons on how to run a successful show and festival.

Scaling From Shows to Festivals

The first year of Vail Comedy Festival, Mark was in a pickle. “I had no idea if we'd sell any tickets. A few weeks out we had sold very few, but I had 25 comedians flying in. It was terrifying, but we packed out all the shows.”

He launched Vail Comedy Festival, which is roughly 20 shows across three nights, after running comedy shows for several years. Now in its fifth year, the festival has grown into a successful multi-day event.

Something Mark learned that is somewhat unique to Colorado is the success of destination comedy: people who come from out-of-state to Vail for vacations and time their trips with his comedy festivals.

Usama Siddiquee at Vail Comedy Festival. He reached the finals of Kevin Hart’s Funny AF.

Colorado’s Film and Comedy Future

Recently, Mark added film to the Vail Comedy Festival after screening the comedy and mental-health documentary Anxiety Club last year, which featured Mark Normand and Joe List.

This year, the festival added a formal film component accepting submissions through FilmFreeway, drawing entries from across the US and internationally, along with filmmaker Q&As and live appearances.

Mark timed this with Sundance Film Festival’s upcoming relocation to Colorado, which he thinks will raise the state’s profile as a film festival destination. “I had this Spidey-sense that in Colorado people were going to get really excited about film festivals pretty soon. I wanted to get a legitimate film festival by around the time Sundance moved to Colorado.”

Mark is an independent comedy entrepreneur who proves you don’t need permission from the industry to build something big people will show up for.

Advertisement

The End of America’s Late-Night Era

Stephen Colbert aired his final Late Show episode from the Ed Sullivan Theater this week, featuring celebrity appearances from Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, and others before Paul McCartney closed the night with a performance with the staff joining onstage. Watch it here.

Netflix’s Roast Formula Still Works

The Roast of Tom Brady and The Roast of Kevin Hart drew similar first-week Netflix audiences, with Brady pulling 13.8 million views and Hart with 13.5 million views during their first-week Netflix Top 10 tracking windows. While the Hart roast was a major draw, Jon Hart argues it failed to recapture the authenticity of Netflix’s Tom Brady roast.

The Scene

  • Comedy Social is hosting their live-to-tape Brooklyn comedy event on May 31 featuring 30 rapid-fire comedians.

  • The Department of Homeland Security circulated a nationwide “Be on the Lookout” alert for comedian Ben Palmer after his parody anti-ICE tip website and prank calls about reporting immigrants went viral.

  • South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone joke on Jimmy Kimmel Live that buying Colorado’s Casa Bonita was a “really dumb thing to do,” as they spent nearly $50 million restoring the restaurant. Kimmel appearance here.  

  • Married comedians Bruce Gray and Kelly Ryan launch a new All Things Comedy podcast where the couple discusses marriage and entertainment careers.

  • Jason Zinoman profiles comedian Billy Eichner. 

TV & Film

  • The Breadwinner is a new family comedy that stars comedian Nate Bargatze as a salesman turned stay-at-home dad after his wife lands a Shark Tank deal. It hits theaters May 29. Trailer here. 

  • Ashley Padilla edges out Colin Jost to lead SNL Season 51 in total screen time, becoming the first featured player ever to top the cast in both appearances and overall minutes onscreen.

  • SNL UK producer James Longman downplays concerns over the show’s fluctuating ratings, arguing that social media engagement matters more than overnight viewership as the series heads into a second season.

  • Seth Rogen mocks AI-generated screenwriting hype, arguing that the output from AI tools is creatively hollow and nowhere near replacing human comedians or filmmakers.

  • Warner Bros. begins early development on a Rick and Morty movie.

  • SNL cast member Colin Jost appears on Hot Ones. Watch here.

  • Rob Delaney joins Elizabeth Banks in a new Apple TV+ comedy series.

Specials, Signings, Tours

  • A new special from Doogie Horner (Prime/Apple, May 26).

  • Andrew Dismukes sets a summer stand-up tour across eight cities.

  • Jordan Jensen adds 27 new dates to her North American stand-up tour.

  • SNL cast member Jane Wickline announces an off-Broadway summer run for Dukes, a musical comedy with Liva Pierce.

  • Comedian Usama Siddiquee signs with WME following his breakout run on Kevin Hart’s Funny AF.

  • Kevin Ryan and H. Foley sign with Creative Artists Agency alongside their comedy podcast Are You Garbage?, one of Patreon’s top comedy shows.

Festivals This Month

Submissions

  • Sketchfest Chicago · September 30–October 3, 2026 · Chicago, Illinois. Fee: $30. Deadline: May 27. Submit here.

  • Empire Comedy Festival · July 24–26, 2026 · San Antonio, Texas. Fee: $35 early bird, increasing to $45 (unclear when price increases). Deadline: May 31. Submit here.

  • Laugh Out Loveland Comedy Festival · July 30–August 2, 2026 · Loveland, Colorado. Two showcase spots and lodging for performers more than 2.5 hours away. Some meals included. Fee: $25. Deadline: May 31. Submit here.

  • NEPA Comedy Festival · October 8–10, 2026 · Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Showcases, open mics, specialty shows. Selected comics receive at least one set. Fee: $15 locals / $25 out-of-town. Deadline: June 1. Submit here.

  • Big Diamond Comedy Festival · October 22–24, 2026 · Bentonville, Arkansas. Two paid spots, shared Airbnb lodging, an industry panel, and activities like archery and swimming hole outings. Fee: $40 ($20 for Arkansas-based comedians). Deadline: May 31. Submit here.

  • Full list of festival submissions on our site here. We’ve also partnered with Inside Comedy to track festival submissions!

Comedy Jobs

Casting Calls / One-Offs

  • Independent Comedy Creator Comedy Videos Wanted – Remote (listed in Chicago, Denver, & Austin). Content collaboration. $50–100 per video.

  • Independent Creator Comedy / Joke Writer – Austin, TX. Writing gig. $60/set

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

Keep Reading

© 2026 The Jokebook.
Report abusePrivacy policyTerms of use
beehiivPowered by beehiiv