Johnny Carson was greater than the undisputed king of late-night TV.
He was a kingmaker when it got here to younger, unknown comedians.
A five-minute spot on Carson’s “Tonight Show” may launched hundreds of thousands to a stand-up performer. The final word signal of Hollywood acceptance? Carson summoned the comedian to his sofa for a chat.
Rolling Stone says Carson helped launch the careers of Jerry Seinfeld, Joan Rivers, Roseanne Barr, Garry Shandling and extra. All of them had the expertise, after all, however expertise alone isn’t sufficient to make it massive.
You want a platform, a springboard to fame.
Late-night tv now not gives that form of rocket gasoline to rising comics, and that was earlier than the writers’ strike shuttered down any present not named “Gutfeld!” The reveals garner a lot smaller audiences now, and the hosts lack the gravitas to anoint the subsequent Jerry Seinfeld or Eddie Murphy.
Now, comedians search out different platforms to lift their profiles and promote their stand-up specials. Few provide the visibility and clout provided by “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
The Spotify showcase invitations each the most effective and brightest comics together with stand-ups simply getting popular culture traction.
The latter describes Luis. J. Gomez, a key cog within the different comedy scene. Gomez, co-host of the “Legion of Skanks” podcast, has flirted with the mainstream through appearances on “Last Comic Standing,” Comedy Central’s “Roast Battles” and TruTV’s “Comedy Knockout.”
His model of unexpurgated comedy is an ungainly match for mainstream laughs. He’s a strolling, speaking assault on the woke thoughts set. That “no rules” model of comedy clicked throughout the Eighties and ’90s. Immediately?
It may get a performer canceled at this time. Meaning he wants recent methods to share his jokes.
That features his GaS Digital Podcast Community, a free speech pleasant platform. He additionally shared his latest stand-up particular, “30 Minutes with Luis J. Gomez,” on YouTube.
That’s the place Rogan is available in. Rogan invited Gomez on his present to coincide with the particular’s launch.
Even when late-night TV had been absolutely operational, no host would carry Gomez to their couches. Fallacious jokes. Fallacious perspective.
Rogan had no drawback inviting Gomez on his present.
The Spotify celebrity routinely invitations comedians on his program, from established expertise like Louis C.Okay. to rising expertise reminiscent of Sam Morril.
The latter now instructions larger phases, together with a number of latest reveals at Denver’s Paramount Theater.
Rogan additionally invitations “canceled” comics like Shane Gillis on his program, boosting their profiles within the course of. Gillis simply snagged a Netflix stand-up particular 4 years after “Saturday Night Live” employed, and fired him for ugly jokes about Asian-People.
Gomez celebrated the “Rogan Effect” on X, previously often known as Twitter.
100k views in simply 3 days!!! That you simply for watching and sharing #30minuteswithluisjgomez!
In case you haven’t seen it but give it a watch! https://t.co/CN7Suz4dEE pic.twitter.com/QXUSkrBGXr
— Luis J. Gomez (@luisjgomez) September 8, 2023
Comedians are a pure match for “The Joe Rogan Experience.” Rogan not solely is a fellow stand-up comedian, however he just lately opened the Comedy Mothership in Austin, Texas. It’s a part of a cultural revolution the Texas metropolis, a spot the place free speech runs wild.
He might not be the brand new Carson, however he’s the closest factor the tradition has to a comedic tastemaker.
UPDATE: Comedians Dave Smith and Mike Binder addressed the subject on the latter’s “Stand-Up World” podcast.
STANDUPWORLD w/ MIKE BINDER Ep. 39 DAVE SMITH Good Stuff! Right here on X. @ComicDaveSmith @RobertKennedyJr @gaslightdigital pic.twitter.com/E2W41dzkD3
— Mike Binder (@MikeBinderjokes) September 17, 2023
The topic? How a lot stand-up comedy has modified over the previous 20 years. Smith stated the previous guidebook advised comedians to work the open-mic community, set up a stable, six-minute routine after which attain out to bigger venues.
Late-night tv, even in a post-Carson world, may enhance a profession like few platforms.
“If you could get on Conan, or the ‘Tonight Show’ or Letterman,” Smith stated, his voice trailing off. Now? That’s the final place digitally savvy comics flip for profession momentum.
“Tim Dillon never did a late-night set … he would have no interest in doing one. It would be a punishment to him,” Smith stated of the comic and podcaster.
“Well, Rogan is the Carson,” Binder stated.
Smith stated comedians get misplaced within the crowd in at this time’s late-night panorama. That’s why Rogan is totally different.
“If I go do Rogan, I speak to a substantially bigger audience for three-and-a-half hours. They come out of there knowing me, like intimately knowing who I am … there’s a new fan who loves you when you come off of that show,” Smith stated.