Livestreaming can feel like a niche youth subculture, but its audience has grown over the past few years. Twitch, the largest livestreaming app, has around 35 million monthly active users in the US and about 240 million globally. Morning Consult estimates 19 percent of US adults are on Twitch. Livestreaming is primarily used by younger generations: 30 percent of US adults under 30 watch Twitch weekly. 

Comedy is breaking into livestreaming. We spoke with The Everything Now Show, a group of four Los Angeles improvisers who run a weekly Twitch show with 32,000 followers that draws 300 to 400 viewers—modest by livestream gaming standards, but notable for a comedy show just starting.

Instead of a traditional filmed show, they build their comedy around the unique tools livestreaming provides. Viewers can vote on outcomes, trigger sound effects, interact with characters, and influence scenes. Some interactions also generate revenue for the show: viewers can pay $5 to change the radio station playing.

Showing monthly support metrics. Top Gifters buy subscriptions for other viewers. 1 gift = about $6, so 25 gifts = about $150. Top Cheerers send Bits. 1,000 Bits = $10 for the show.

The Everything Now Show also produces the Twitch version of Nearly Average Wrestling (NAW), a wrestling-comedy show we previously covered that was reworked to also have a Twitch livestream edition.

Shane Hartline, NAW’s creator, thinks the weekly livestream makes his live theatre show in Los Angeles better. It’s a testing ground for the show: new characters are developed, running jokes emerge, and ideas are tested with a real audience in real-time. Instead of spending months developing an idea for a live performance, the show can experiment online to see what connects.

Twitch is also supporting comedy on the platform. After hearing about the show, Twitch connected Shane with a company representative who supports them and also featured the show on the platform's front page. 

“I get anyone in the world,” Shane says. Performers can audition from anywhere, celebrity judges can appear remotely, and fans from around the world can participate in the same live event. This can help in comedy hubs like Los Angeles, where many shows compete for local audiences every night.

YouTube did not just create successful sketch comedians; it created a system where sketch comedy could grow. Productions formed, creators collaborated, audiences learned where to find that style of comedy. Now, a new approach to making comedy is being developed around livestreaming. 

In-person comedy can never be replaced, but there are unique benefits to livestream comedy, like experimentation, building a niche following, and more interactive components that can fund the show and build a relationship with an audience. Livestream comedy should be thought of as an extension of and playground for comedy in a new digital universe. It supports experimentation and may mint new young comedy fans.

  • Matt Grobar hosts a live Comedy Means Business podcast at Just For Laughs Montreal discussing comedy development. Watch here.

  • Amanda Knox, known for being convicted and later acquitted in Italy of the 2007 murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher, defends her Edinburgh Fringe comedy show Cartwheel amid criticism from Kercher’s sister.

  • Matt Ruby shares data from Punchup on when fans actually buy comedy-show tickets, including that a typical show sells 58% of its tickets in the final week. He also gives advice on timing promotions.

  • We cover how Jenny Yang takes her Good Egg Immigrant Grocery Store Standup Comedy Tour to 18 grocery stores nationwide.

  • You can request free tickets to the Comedy Central Summer ’26 taping in Hollywood on August 18.

  • Health Alliance for Chicago Comedians releases a survey of 110 Chicago comedians finding nearly half are uninsured or at risk of losing health insurance, including 16% who are already uninsured. 

  • VICE revisits Bill Burr’s infamous 2006 “Philly rant,” when he abandons his planned set and spends 12 minutes roasting and later winning over a hostile crowd.

  • YouTube channel Brand New Extra Good offers a walkthrough video of how to film a comedy special, covering cameras, audio gear, editing, and color grading. Watch here.

  • Jordan Klepper and Ronny Chieng argue that political satire is a responsibility for American comedians.

  • David Zucker releases his annual Edinburgh Fringe Guide, highlighting 154 of the festival’s roughly 4,200 shows.

  • Kevin Hart becomes the highest-grossing Black comedian in Pollstar history, with his stand-up tours generating $300 million and selling over 3.6 million tickets worldwide.

  • Nick Kroll expands Comedy vs Cancer to college campuses, which pairs professional comedians with students to raise money for cancer research.

  • National Comedy Center executive director Journey Gunderson discusses the institution’s growing role in preserving comedy history as it hosts the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival Aug. 6–9.

  • The Los Angeles Times profiles Anthony Jeselnik and his growing online Jeselnik Book Club, which he hopes can “make reading cool again”.

  • Bowen Yang makes his Broadway debut as Mary Todd Lincoln in the Tony-winning Oh, Mary!, beginning a 12-week run in September.

  • Janelle James discusses how 15 years of stand-up comedy led to her acting career on Abbott Elementary.

  • Amazon orders a US version of LOL: Last One Laughing, where 10 comedians try to make each other laugh while keeping a straight face.

  • Shane Gillis appears on Jimmy Fallon and discusses breaking the record for most tickets sold for a comedy show. Watch here. 

  • Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed is getting a two-hour primetime special on CBS to celebrate its 20th anniversary on September 29.

  • Funny You Should Ask returns to production August 11, with new episodes of the comedy game show beginning September 21.

  • Saturday Night Live opens its Season 52 ticket lottery through August 31.

  • Netflix is investing in live TV. The Ankler reports that Netflix is spending roughly $1 billion on live programming in 2026 (about 5% of its total content budget) even though live accounts for just 1% of viewing hours.

  • Josh Richards’ Read the Room returns for Season 2 on August 25. The sketch comedy series parodies pop culture and internet trends and features 23 new sketches.

  • Stavros Halkias appears in Tony, A24’s Anthony Bourdain origin film, as a restaurant worker alongside the young Anthony Bourdain. The film opens in Boston August 14 and expands nationwide August 21.

  • Ricky Gervais returns to Netflix with Alley Cats, a six-episode adult animated comedy he creates and stars in.

  • Conan O’Brien Must Go returns for Season 3 on August 21 on HBO Max.

  • John Oliver extends his HBO deal for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver through 2027.

Specials and Tours

  • New specials from Leonard Ouzts (Gorilla Comedy+, August 10), Rory Scovel (Netflix, August 11), Tammy Pescatelli (Prime/Apple, August 11), Jennifer Gable (Prime/Apple, August 11), and Jerrel Beamon (YouTube, August 13). 

  • Corey B sets his debut comedy special for an October 17 taping.

Festivals This Month

Festival Submissions

  • 1 Day Comedy Competition • September 26, 2026 • Atlanta, Georgia. $1,000 prize and a weekend showcase at Laughing Skull Lounge. Submission fee: Not listed. Deadline: August 14, 2026. Submit here.

  • Boston Comedy Festival Comedy Contest • November 10–14, 2026 • Boston, Massachusetts. 72-comedian competition, $7,000 prize pool. Submission fee: $45. Deadline: August 15, 2026. Submit here.

  • Fountain City Comedy Festival • October 23–24, 2026 • Kansas City, Missouri. Submission fee: $25. Deadline: August 15, 2026. Submit here.

(Full list on our website here, updated weekly)

Comedy Jobs

Casting Calls / Gigs

(Full list on our website here, updated weekly)

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

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