Comedy is thriving online, which is great for comedians — sort of

Stand-up comedy is booming as Netflix specials and social media make the art form more accessible than ever. 

Grosses from stand-up shows have nearly tripled over the last decade, generating more than $900 million US last year according to Pollstar, with Kevin Hart topping that list at $68.3 million between October 2022 and 2023.

In Canada, Live Nation is nearly doubling the number of comedy shows it promotes year-over-year, according to president of music Erik Hoffman, who said he expects that growth to continue.

Comedians and industry experts attribute this largely to the advent of Netflix specials, as well as the growing accessibility of comedy through YouTube and apps like Instagram and TikTok that give comedians a direct way to connect with audiences that aren't at a comedy club.

"I think ultimately [social media] has helped me a lot, because it used to be that a certain person has to be in a certain room for you to get an opportunity," said Rachel Feinstein, who has shows at Toronto's Comedy Bar Danforth this weekend.

"You'd have one man ... in the back of the room, and then he puts you in the pictures and, you know, may or may not sexually harass you. And it's getting a little better now." 

In the past, comedians would have to work their way up through comedy clubs and in the hopes of being discovered — and even then, few avenues existed to gain mainstream viewership, save for coveted spots on late-night talk shows and big festivals like Just for Laughs.

Social media has also allowed comedians to find niche audiences. Feinstein, who jokes about her firefighter husband in her Netflix special Big Guy, has found a sizeable following among families of first responders, who share her comedy clips in online groups.

But she says while the digital world has opened up new paths to success in stand-up, it's also added to the hustle of self-promotion. 

"There's always gonna be some ball you're dropping. I have, like, 40,000 unanswered emails.… It's never ending," she said. 

"Your comedy can get seen by a lot more people, because there's more ways for people to see it. But it just makes you always feel like there's something you should be doing that you're not doing. There's never a moment in my life where I'm just sitting on a beach. I'm always like, 'Oh, f--k, I forgot to post on my YouTube channel.'"

Jacqueline Novak, whose critically acclaimed off-Broadway show Get On Your Knees was made into a Netflix special in January, says it's empowering for comedians to have more ways to find and build their own audiences, but there is "something messy" about the increased importance of social media.

"We're all doing our work and trying to make that great. And then we have to run these marketing campaigns as individuals, essentially," Novak said. "And marketing is inherently embarrassing, marketing is inherently lame, you know. It's sort of antithetical to what's cool about an artist."

Novak, who also co-hosts a podcast, Poog, with fellow comedian Kate Berlant, built her career largely through live shows and word of mouth. She insisted on being involved in every aspect of her Netflix special, even working with video editors and sound engineers. As someone with perfectionist tendencies, she says posting quick and frequent social media snippets can feel paralyzing.