George Brett Olson posted a clip this summer of him performing at Punch Line Sacramento, which got millions of views. Months later, a friend sent him a video of OnlyFans model Tiffany Sloane performing his bit word-for-word using similar mannerisms and wearing the same-colored clothing as Olson. Sloane likely used an AI creative tool to superimpose herself as the performer in Olson’s clip.

Comedian Olga Namer also had her joke taken by Sloane; the stolen clip received around 6 million views. Olson says he’s also seen similar content on TikTok featuring AI clips with stage imagery similar to comedy clubs from Zani's to Cobbs Comedy Club. 

This isn’t just happening to comedy, but rather to creatives from breakdancers to skateboarders. Dancer Doyah had his performance brazenly copied by AI generated character Jean Phil, which was used to promote a crypto scheme.

Olson made a video explaining what happened, which caught the attention of Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri, who “replied with a big fat nothing burger. But two hours later, [Mosseri] got my comments, apologized, said it will never happen again, and deleted all her videos…[Mosseri tells me], ‘Oh, we can't tell what AI is. We can't just filter out AI,’" says Olson. “And then he's like, ‘And some of it's good, but a lot of it's slop. But if people are just stealing wholesale, then I don't know what we're going to do, but I'll talk to the team.’”

However, just this morning, Sloane was able to upload new stand-up clips and still retains nearly 400,000 followers. 

Platforms seem to either be wholly unequipped to police these issues or uninterested in moderating AI content they think benefits their content algorithm. In an earnings call last year, Mark Zuckerberg said, “AI makes it easier to create and remix content, we're going to add yet another huge corpus of content on top of those.”

Some technocrats seem to encourage it. Justine Moore, a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, which invests in visual AI companies, called Tiffany Sloane a “genius marketing hack.”

In comedy, stealing material is a treasonous offense. But norms differ on social media, as influencers caught stealing comedy bits often face no reputational damage. Some accounts are also anonymous and unreachable, limiting any recourse. Instead, they’re rewarded with millions of views and a massive following.

Olson feels trapped. “As a comic, you could say, ‘Well, let's stop posting our standup clips.’ But then you're in the same situation where if I don't do it, somebody else is going to.” He also wonders where this is all going as AI clips may soon become indistinguishable from an original clip. “Are people going to be okay with this? Because some people are really not okay with this, and some people are okay with this. And we might be seeing a split in conscious consumers…We're going to find out if you separate the art from the artist, with finality.”

  • Stand Up for Stand Up reported a 66% drop in the number of comedians receiving airplay on SiriusXM’s Sebastian Maniscalco’s Comedy Radio, from 812 in April to 275 in September. Maniscalco denies involvement in this decision and asks fellow comedians for time to adjust his SiriusXM channel’s programming.

    • We interviewed one of the primary organizers of the backlash to this decision, Liz Miele.

  • Vulture recommends specials from Nimesh Patel, Vanessa Gonzalez, Stavros Halkias, Leonard Ouzts, David Drake, Rory Scovel, Mary Beth Barone, Derek Gaines, and Milo Edwards.

  • Chris Rock discusses forgiveness, cancel culture, and aging in Hollywood with The New York Times.

  • Jamie Foxx reveals that backlash to Kevin Hart’s roast prompted him to cut material from his Hulu special Take Care of Yourself, and says he disliked Tony Hinchcliffe’s George Floyd joke.

  • Bill Burr argues that friendships with powerful figures like Mark Zuckerberg can compromise comedians’ ability to criticize them.

  • Joe Rogan renews his Spotify licensing agreement in a multiyear deal reportedly worth approximately $250 million.

  • Chuck Savage, Mitch Hedberg’s former bass player, hosts a Reddit AMA about their years performing together.

  • Tubi adds more than 800 Just for Laughs specials and episodes to its free Canadian catalog.

  • Netflix releases Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald, a documentary exploring the comedian’s life and career through archival footage, October 16.

  • American High founders Jeremy Garelick and Will Phelps discuss their approach to producing comedy films on Comedy Means Business.

  • The Golden Globes reveal 30 podcasts eligible for their Best Podcast category, including shows from Conan O’Brien, Amy Poehler, and Matt McCusker and Shane Gillis.

  • The Los Angeles Times covers Good Night With Ben Gleib, Gleib’s home-based YouTube late-night talk show.

  • Patton Oswalt appears in a new Drunk History episode.

  • Jason Zinoman interviews Turkish comedian Deniz Göktaş about defending free speech after three months in jail for his jokes.

  • James Austin Johnson leads SNL’s Season 52 sketch-appearance rankings with nine appearances through two episodes.

  • 800 Pound Gorilla Media’s Nick Yacovazzi names James Austin Johnson’s He’ll Yeah his favorite September comedy release.

  • Here’s Shane Gillis’ opening monologue for SNL last night.

  • Bert Kreischer says he wants to start a union for comedians.

  • Mark Normand says comedians can’t just do standup anymore with the need to clip and create content. 

  • Sam Rager thinks comedians should consider copyright registration as AI-generated performers copy stand-up material.

  • Barry Katz explains how work ethic separates comics who change the world from those who don’t.

  • Hunter Wills explains how comedians generate material by finding new premises, exploring different angles, and testing ideas.

  • Lauren Kay gives advice on how to write SNL-style jokes.

Specials, Festivals, Shows, and Tours

  • New specials from Brad Upton (YouTube, October 9), Just Nesh (Hulu, October 9), Michael Che (Netflix, October 13), Kelly Bachman (Prime Video/Apple TV, October 13), Ian Bagg (YouTube, October 13), Sumukhi Suresh (Netflix, October 14), Jack Jr. (YouTube, October 15), Kate Berlant (HBO, October 16), Heather McMahan (Hulu, October 16), and Chris Hardwick (YouTube, October 20).

  • Festivals this week: Lookout (Chattanooga, TN, October 14–17), Oak City (Raleigh, NC, October 14–18), New York Arab American (New York, NY, October 15–17), Oakland (Oakland, CA, October 15–16).

  • Morgan & Morgan and Underground Overground Comedy present Comedy Court, a courtroom comedy show at New York’s Fordham Moot Courthouse October 13.

  • Jenny Zigrino returns in The Drillmaster at Los Angeles’ Elysian Theater October 13 alongside Guy Branum, Beth Stelling, Mary Lynn Rajskub, and Dylan Adler.

Festival Submissions

  • Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival • March 3–14, 2027 • Toronto, Canada. Accepting live sketch troupes, solo performers, and other scripted comedy acts. Submission fee: Not listed. Deadline: October 15, 2026. Submit here.

  • Women Are Funny Festival • March 3–7, 2027 • Amsterdam, Netherlands. Stand-up, improv, and other comedy opportunities for women, femmes, and non-binary or gender-expansive performers. Submission fee: €20. Deadline: October 15, 2026. Submit here.

  • Fresh Blood Comedy Competition • October 24, November 21, and December 12, 2026 • San Clemente, CA. Comedians compete for a $200 grand prize and a paid booking in 2027. Submission fee: Free. Deadline: Not listed. Submit here.

(Full list on our website here, updated weekly)

Comedy Jobs

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]rg

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