It’s a Really Sad State of Affairs When…
A comedian takes it upon themselves to steal material from other comedians.
Unfortunately, it’s a reality in stand-up comedy.
Any comedian who has the ability to effectively deliver original material on stage should never have to resort to stealing jokes — ever (make sure you check out the video at the bottom of this article on how to prevent theft of your stand-up comedy material).
So, Why Does It Happen?
It happens because…
Comedians who are “joke thieves” really don’t know how to quickly and effectively develop their own original material. It’s that simple.
And honestly, this doesn’t surprise me at all. Most comedians are stuck trying to write “jokes” the hard way.
I will be the very first to tell you that conventional joke writing is not only incredibly difficult, but even the most popular comedy teachers can’t seem to teach folks how to “write jokes.” I know I can’t, and I won’t pretend that I can.
Ask Yourself This…
The last time you made someone laugh in a casual conversation:
- Did you think about what type of “joke formula” you were going to use?
- Did you write out your response to what somebody said, hand it to them, and then they laughed?
Of course not! That’s not how we make people laugh in real life, and it’s not how you’ll get laughs on stage either.
Joke Writing vs. Joke Structuring
I don’t show comedians how to “write jokes.”
I show them how to structure what they want to talk about on stage.
There’s a huge difference between that and trying to write jokes one by one like digging a swimming pool with a spoon.
When I was actively performing, I saw comedians perform pieces of my own material — word for word — while I was sitting in the audience. And yes, I approached them about it after the show.
Parallel Thinking vs. Theft
There’s a big difference between stealing material and parallel thinking. The nature of comedy means that many comedians talk about topics audiences can relate to, so there can be overlap in material development.
But if your material is personal to you, you’ll encounter far fewer issues with parallel thinking.
Let me break this down further:
- Comedians can and do talk about similar things.
- What makes stand-up original are the unique, personal details each comedian brings from their experiences, observations, and opinions.
So, why steal when you already have HOURS of original material to tap into, just waiting to be structured for your stand-up act?
Stealing Comedy Material in the Age of AI: The Ultimate Bonehead Move
Stealing stand-up comedy material is about the stupidest thing any comedian can do. And, as if you thought it couldn’t get worse, we’ve now entered an era where stealing jokes is not just lazy — it’s an ultimate “hold my beer” moment.
Why? Because now, with the advent of AI tools, there is simply no excuse for not generating your own original, high-level material.
AI can help comedians — whether you’re new or experienced — to rapidly generate, edit, and refine original comedy with minimal effort. The tools are out there, and they’re free (if you know where to look).
If you thought stealing jokes was a bonehead move before, imagine how much more ridiculous it is now that AI can provide an endless stream of unique comedy material at your fingertips.
It’s Not Just Untalented People Who Steal
Here’s the thing — it’s usually not the untalented comedians who steal. Often, it’s the ones with talent who are struggling to generate original content at a high level.
And that’s where AI comes in as a game-changer.
We’ve left the days of excuses behind. With AI-driven tools, even the most talented comedians no longer need to struggle or resort to material theft to stay fresh.
We’re now in the “no more excuses” era.
The Bottom Line
Don’t steal material. Ever.
Instead, use free AI tools like Comedy Prompt Pro to easily generate prompt-driven, original headline-level comedy material that’s personalized to your voice and style.
AI can help you do in minutes what used to take hours, ensuring you always have fresh, original content at your disposal.
And when you’re ready to take your comedy to the next level, it’s time to look into the Killer Stand-up Online Course—designed to help you truly master your craft and go pro.
Related Video:
As I understand it, once a comedian has told a joke on TV or radio, it’s considered to be in the public domain, and anyone is free to tell it. Whether this applies to YouTube, I’m not sure.
That is absolutely NOT correct. As a matter of fact, once a comedian has displayed their material on TV or radio, it is some of the best possible legal proof (like a copyright or a WGA submission) that the material is theirs.
Actually, I was making a joke. I have a very dry sense of humor, and sometimes it doesn’t come across that I’m joking. But I was also making a larger point, which is that these days, once someone has told a joke on TV or YouTube, it might as well be in the public domain. Other comics may not steal it, but plenty of other people will. There are countless sites on the web that put up pictures with funny captions, and then get tons of traffic by posting this stuff on Facebook. Then they make money when thousands of people “like” and “share” the gag, and people visit the site and click on ads. Well, in many cases, the funny captions and other gags are simply jokes stolen from standup comics. Someone saw it on TV or YouTube, or heard it in a club, and decided it would make a funny cartoon or image. Next thing you know, hundreds of thousands of people have seen the joke. Trying to enforce copyright in a situation like that is futile. And it happens all the time. Maybe not to guys like Brian Regan, whose acts don’t “read funny” as you talk about, but get their laughs by their tone of voice, delivery, facial expressions and other body language. But for comedians with actual traditional jokes, this is a real problem. Any joke that is halfway funny will soon become fodder for internet sites whose owners have zero compunctions about stealing material.
This is EXACTLY why comedians need to control what they put up on YouTube — at least that provides some measure of access. Great points!
After watching “I AM COMIC”, I’m mortified. If Carlos Mencia can readily admit that he ACTIVELY SEEKS OUT COMEDY TO STEAL, and is already famous with his own show, who can you trust?
I have worked 3 years on polishing my routines and I am yet to hit a stage. I have enough material for 3 hours of stand-up. No BS. I’m afraid to use what I think are my best routines on open-mic nights because I don’t want people who have a following using my material.
I’m actually going to use what I feel are my weakest acts on open-mic to see if I can still get good laughs. I think my stage presence and delivery will show i have potential for more than open-mic.
Once I start getting 10+ minutes on stage, that’s when I’ll put my best foot forward. Is that a flawed approach?
Yes, that approach is flawed because if you don’t deliver killer material, you will remain stuck as an open miker.
One of the reasons that I am an advocate of working clean in the non-comedy club environments is because there is virtually no theft of comedy material because comedians don’t “hang out” at corporate or other non-comedy club events where comedians are performing.
Like I said before, the more personal your material is to you and your natural persona, the harder it becomes to steal — that and being able to produce material that kills much more quickly than other comedians.
Theft of material is one of my biggest fears.
Sure, whoever resorts to it probably doesn’t “get it” and is desperate – but the comedy community is small and if you’re caught doing it, I would assume it would amount to professional suicide. A damning act, similar to a teacher having sex with a student or a chef spitting in someone’s food.
If someone’s caught doing it Steve, how does the comedy community deal with it? (bookers and agents banning him/her) Hell, there should be comedy theft tribunals! I’d love to see a panel of reigning comedians like Greg Fitzsimmons or Dana Carvey in a judge’s robe.
Steve outlines a method in his Killer stand up system that circumvents the pricey, long and painful process of copywriting. That gave me a little bit of relief.
Still, if some idiot at some open mike has the balls to lift my shit, I’ll let ’em have it. I sort of combat this by paying attention of the other comics in attendance at a particular open mike, either by face or by name, then if my material pops up in the future (acusatory evaluations of parallel thinking aside) WHAMMO! I’ll make that particular guy’s life a living hell.
At least with Steve’s writing tips I can rest assured that my material development can “outpace” any theft that occurs. Still, I feel that theft doesn’t happen THAT OFTEN, but I’m definetly hyper-vigilant.