In an October episode of the podcast You Made It Weird, host Pete Holmes and guest Sam Jay spoke frankly about how the behavior of comedy audiences has worsened thanks to the torrent of promotional crowdwork clips on social media. “I fucking hate it,†they both agreed. “The crowds are rowdier,†Jay noted. “They absolutely think they’re part of it now, and they’re like, ‘I’m giving you a leg up.’†Maybe this was inevitable: There is now a sizable audience whose primary exposure to stand-up comes from scrolling on TikTok or Instagram, and its expectations have been warped by the crowdwork clips that get traction on these platforms.
Nearly three years into this trend, Holmes and Jay are far from the only comedians who have complained about its ripple effects. Even Matt Rife, a comedian who parlayed the virality of his crowdwork clips into a Netflix stand-up special, has expressed irritation at audience members who yell out, hoping to be featured in one of his clips. A newer development, though, is comedians expressing their dislike for crowdwork from the stage. Over the past year and change, comedians have gone meta with the trend by needling crowdwork’s laziest tropes and satirizing crowdwork using crowdwork itself. With two examples of this popping up in the past week alone, we figured now is as good of a time as any for a roundup of these bits.
Gary Gulman (December 2023)
Near the outset of his newest special, Born on 3rd Base, Gulman opts to put the audience members in the front rows at ease by assuring them they are “safe†and that he will not “forcibly cast†them in a TikTok video. He recalls disliking crowdwork as far back as when he’d attend comedy shows in high school, saying, “I just remember thinking, If I am ever in the front row at a comedy show and a comedian asks me what I do for work, I will stand up and say, ‘What do you do for work?’â€
Marc Maron (December 2023)
Not one to bend his comedy scruples for anyone, Maron reluctantly waded into the social-media crowdwork trend recently, but not before offering the caveat that his crowdwork would be “pure†and “honest†and boiled down to “what crowdwork really is.†While being filmed by a member of the audience at a show at Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles, he starts asking audience members basic questions, then mocking their responses with intentionally juvenile insults. One, who tells him that his name is Joshua, is met with a reply of “That’s fucking stupid.†Another, who says he’s originally from Los Angeles, is greeted with a reply of “That’s where we are now, stupid.†Content that he has generated enough content, Maron triumphantly collects his phone from the audience member and declares, “That’s, like, three TikTok videos!â€
Joe Pera (September 2023)
In the days leading up to his 2023 special, Slow & Steady, Pera posted crowdwork clips online to promote its release. And in true Pera fashion, he was apologetic and transparent about his motives the entire time. In this clip, filmed by a member of his audience wearing a Dave Chappelle–branded hat, Pera pretends to engineer a spontaneous moment by abruptly asking the audience, “Anyone here fuck?†Then he gives up the pretense and instructs the camera operator to turn the camera around on himself and proclaim, “Chappelle would probably like that crowdwork!†Sadly, Chappelle has yet to confirm or deny his appreciation.
Nathan Hare (March 2023)
Maybe it’s because he’s Canadian, but Hare initiates his crowdwork more politely than most comedians. In this clip shot at a comedy club in Vancouver, he asks a volunteer for consent to “do crowdwork†on him before asking a string of questions, pausing to take careful written notes of his responses: “What’s your name?†“Are you from Vancouver?†“Was Vancouver the city that you were born in?†“What was the name of your first pet?†“What is your mother’s maiden name?†If these sound at all like standard password-security questions, I’m sure that’s just a coincidence.
Sam Campbell (December 2022)
“I like your shirt,†Australian comedian Campbell pauses to tell an audience member midway through his special Companion. “What is that — is it a jumper? Or what is that?†The interaction goes on like this for another 30 seconds or so with Campbell struggling to elevate it into anything that transcends strained small talk. Finally, a beat passes and Campbell declares, “We’ve got to destigmatize crowdwork! I’m trying to talk to this lady. You think I like her stupid fucking hoodie? It’s the worst hoodie I’ve ever seen!â€
Kyle Kinane (December 2022)
In this clip filmed at Helium comedy club in Indianapolis, Kinane voices his displeasure for the algorithm’s demand for crowdwork clips before branding himself as “a comedian for introverts†and telling audience members in the front rows that he’s glad they’re there and that he’ll “leave [them] alone.†He then proceeds to flip the crowdwork dynamic on its head by instructing an audience member to ask him what he does for a living. “I’m a comedian. Thanks for asking!†he replies. “You know, the other day …†Without skipping a beat, he segues seamlessly back into material.
Orli Matlow (October 2022)
“I’m Orli. I’m the one with the tripod,†comedian and writer Matlow tells her audience in this clip recorded at a stand-up show in New York. It’s a natural segue into her material about “being at the mercy of the TikTok-industrial complex†and her hatred of crowdwork on Instagram, which she jokes she can’t abide because it takes the focus off her: “I’ve been waiting my whole day for these eight minutes. These eight minutes are about me. I don’t care what you do or what your name is. I’m not going to pretend otherwise because Mark Zuckerberg tells me to!â€