Stand-up Comedy

Stand-up comedy is a style of comedy that involves a comedian performing on stage in front of a live audience. Modern stand-up comedians normally use no props or costumes during their acts, speaking into a microphone directly at viewers. Stand-up comedy usually involves a comedian telling a string of jokes in a storytelling format, and many performers poke fun at society and their own lives to amuse listeners. The comedian's performance is often referred to as a routine or monologue. Stand-up comedy has roots in ancient Greece and medieval courts, but the art form primarily evolved from a type of American entertainment known as minstrel shows that were popular in the 1800s. Over the next few centuries, stand-up comedy emerged as a hugely popular facet of show business and led to the emergence of comedy clubs, amphitheater performances, and later televised stand-up specials.

Background

In its broadest sense, stand-up comedy's predecessors include the comedians of ancient Greek theater and the jesters of medieval courts. The modern form of stand-up comedy is believed to have originated in the American minstrel shows of the early 1800s, however. Minstrel shows usually featured musical numbers and comics. A speaker would ask a comic a series of questions, which the comic then answered with one-liners written to make the audience laugh. These became known as punchlines, and the strategy was a popular comedic act in the years before and after the US Civil War (1861–1865). The minstrel's popularity began to fade with the introduction of vaudeville shows in the late nineteenth century.

Stand-up comedy further evolved within the vaudeville theater circuit. Such theaters were known for their provocative female dancing but also featured variety and burlesque shows that incorporated comedic elements. Such variety shows featured high-energy, slapstick comedy routines that were written to parody modern society. Performers often wore costumes such as excessively baggy pants and delivered punchline-oriented dialogue aimed at making fun of everyday things. Shows also featured gags such as pies to the face and seltzer bottles being sprayed at characters.

An American vaudeville performer named Charley Case is considered by some historians to be the first true stand-up comedian. Case's act was very different from other vaudeville comics as he wore no costumes and used no props to deliver drawn-out, humorous monologues. His performances were much more similar to modern stand-up acts than to the punchline humor associated with vaudeville. Historians also consider American author Mark Twain one of the earliest stand-up comedians for his humorous spoken-word monologues. Twain was also the first comedian in the world to embark on a comedy tour.

In the early days of stand-up, Black comedians were not allowed to perform in front of White audiences and therefore only appeared in front of Black audiences. This sector of the comedy world was known as the Chitlin' Circuit. As segregation ended, the Chitlin' Circuit was absorbed into the modern stand-up scene. Vaudeville and Chitlin' veterans soon found their livelihoods at stake with the advent of radio and cinema. Many made the transition from stage to screen. Early masters of comedy such as Groucho Marx got their start in vaudeville before adapting their material for film. Although cinema eventually led to the demise of vaudeville theaters, the comedy style persisted on screen and on the radio. Stand-up comedy was further developed by comedians such as Sid Caesar and Henny Youngman, who gained popularity for their performances at various resorts in the Catskill Mountains of New York. A new wave of comedy routine arrived toward the second half of the twentieth century, leading to the rise of modern American stand-up.

Overview

Historians credit comedians such as Frank Fay, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, George Burns, and Bob Hope with popularizing the modern form of stand-up comedy, particularly in the United States. Modern stand-up involved the comedian standing up on stage in front of an audience, performing monologues as themselves without costumes or props. The fact that the comedians stood was not the reason they were called stand-up comics, however. Historians trace the label back to the days of nightclubs. Organized crime figures who frequented nightclubs often compared a comedian who could endure ridicule from the audience to a boxer who could withstand many punches. Such a fighter was considered a stand-up guy, and the term was later applied to jokesters who could take abuse from hecklers.

As the decades wore on, resorts and nightclubs became the mainstays for many budding—primarily male—comedians. These venues accommodated up-and-coming acts such as Don Rickles, Dean Martin, and Jerry Lewis. The second half of the twentieth century saw stand-up comedy entering into new territory. Comedians increasingly inserted more controversial material into their acts, such as political commentary and sexual humor. Those comedians that did include such elements often found themselves in trouble with the law. Famously controversial comedians included Lenny Bruce and George Carlin, both of whom were arrested for their obscene language at various points in their careers. The work of these comics was extremely influential to the further development of stand-up comedy, and many future comedians would cite Carlin and Bruce as major inspirations of their own routines.

By the 1970s, stand-up comedy had become so popular that clubs dedicated to showcasing comedians began emerging in various cities. Many comedians with especially large followings also began to stage their acts in concert arenas and stadiums. Television talk shows such as The Tonight Show also increased stand-up viewership, often reserving part of their time slots to introduce new faces in stand-up comedy. The stand-up population continued to diversify during this period, with women and African American comics increasing their presence within the circuit. Stand-up venues also diversified as television networks such as HBO began broadcasting recorded specials of various comedians. Although stand-up comedy had primarily existed within the United States and the United Kingdom up to this point, the art form eventually bled into areas of the Middle East such as India and Pakistan.

Stand-up comedy experienced a major boom in popularity throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with comedians such as Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams, Ellen DeGeneres, and Eddie Murphy emerging onto the scene. Many of these stars turned their stand-up success into lucrative film, television, and talk show deals. Televison network Comedy Central developed a stand-up special, Comedy Central Presents, which aired from 1998 until 2011 and helped introduce many new comedians to a massive general audience.

Stand-up comedy continued to garner large audiences into the twenty-first century as online venues such as Netflix and YouTube further propelled up-and-coming comedians into the spotlight, with comedians such as Kevin Hart, Bill Burr, and Jim Gaffigan earning fame as the next generation in stand-up comedy. Since Netflix's first stand-up special in 2013—Aziz Ansari's Buried Alive—more than 350 specials have aired along with over thirty series, miniseries, and collections. Many comedians gained immense popularity following these specials.

Many stand-up comedians of the twenty-first century also found their niche in the world of podcasting. The Joe Rogan Experience, hosted by stand-up comedian Joe Rogan, was launched in 2009 and became a global sensation. The show consistently ranked as the most-listened to podcast, with 14.5 million followers on Spotify in 2024. Despite his popularity, many critics dismissed Rogan's views on controversial topics like the COVID-19 pandemic, during which he was criticized for spreading falsehoods about vaccines. Further, while some argue that the abundance of comedy podcasts and YouTube channels damaged the allure and the spectacle of seeing a comedian live or even of anticipating a network special, the popularity comedians have gained through such outlets has helped launch many comedy careers.

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