Getting into Stand Up Comedy

For the past few months I've been watching a ton of Kill Tony. it is by far the most funny live podcast I have ever seen. Stand up comedy and going to comedy clubs has always been my favorite things. I eventually got thinking that I'm a pretty funny guy and am always making the people im with laugh with my goofy demeanor and perfectly timed witty jokes. over the weekend I wrote about 10 minutes worth of jokes and signed up for an open mic. I actually did pretty well and got some laughs. The thing is, I have a pretty dark sense of humor (think Anthony Jeselnik) and am afraid that if some of my darker jokes got out it could damage my career. I am falling in love with stand up tho and really want to do more open mics in the future.

23 Comments
 

I love stand up comedy. I used to go to the Comedy Cellar in NYC for some good grassroots comedy. A lot of the new comics that I saw start out there are now successful. Some people do it as a hobby, but I think it is a hard life for those who do it full time. Stand up comedy is interesting as you get instant feedback if you're good or not. Lots of stand up comics are cynics and their own jokes about the twisted ways of life bring them down. One comic I was friends with in NYC is Annie Lederman. I think she is funny, but she often crosses a line that I don't agree with. I think one thing a comic will always ask themselves is how dark and twisted should I get? I also met Edith Stein at the Comedy Cellar. 

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Got a potential violation post again for this post from WSO

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 
Most Helpful

I’d recommend you use a fake name for signing up for open mics and having a different persona for your comedy hobby in general.

People can be spiteful for no reason and try exposing you if you even slightly offend them. Dave Chapelle got attacked on stage for a few jokes.

Standup is really fun though so don’t give it up because you’re scared of a few potential butthurt losers.

 

I knew a Piper admin who did stand up. She was raw, racial, raunchy, and sexual. A bunch of MDs had a blast at one of her gigs.

Unless times really have changed post Me Too and BLM, I think we can all get behind the notion of “if we can all laugh together, we’re on the right track.”

 

One of the racial trainings at my organization brought in an outside training team. One of the dudes was a stand up comedian on the side and didn't hesitate to have some fun while educating us on racial equity. I talked to him during a break about racial elements on late night tv for instance (SNL/Kay & Peele/Chapelle). He smirked and said, well, they know their audience for one. By in my opinion, if we can all laugh together, it's a start.

 

Samesies I'm gonna start hitting open mics after I recover from my surgery next month. I've been into stand up for years and have pages and pages of jokes and premises written out. I got a little into Kill Tony too recently. That shit's not s podcast though. It's just a comedy show on YouTube. And some of the people who come on make me feel really confident in myself. Like bro that got laughs? I wish the scene wasn't mostly a bunch of overgrown manchildren though. Like the people who come on all have no lives and have done nothing. I like comedy by people who have lived a little. Hurr durr I moved to Austin a month ago and I love cats and weed hirr dirr

heister: Look at all these wannabe richies hating on an expensive salad. https://arthuxtable.com/
 
GoldenCinderblock

Hurr durr...I love cats and weed hirr dirr

Quant (ˈkwänt) n: An expert, someone who knows more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing.
 
GoldenCinderblock

Samesies I'm gonna start hitting open mics after I recover from my surgery next month. 

What surgery are you getting? 

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 
Isaiah_53_5 💎🙌💎🙌💎
GoldenCinderblock

Samesies I'm gonna start hitting open mics after I recover from my surgery next month. 

What surgery are you getting? 

Maxillomandibular advancement, turbinate reduction, deviated septum correction, upper palate surgery

heister: Look at all these wannabe richies hating on an expensive salad. https://arthuxtable.com/
 

Kevin25

nah, you're literally doing comedy, it's clearly jokes, so don't worry

Famous last words for people with careers doing comedy on the side......

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Funny thing about standup is once people “get big” it gets harder for them to make content. Think about it. Someone like Eddie Murphy doesn’t live a normal life anymore. It would be hard for him to make a routine that appeals to normal people. A few folks keep on it such as Chappelle, but many folks lose touch with the commoners when they get big and suddenly their life antics don’t mesh with getting laughs.

 

"I hate luxury. I exercise moderation. It will be easy to forget your vision and purpose one you have fine clothes, fast horses and beautiful women. You will be no better than a slave, and you will surely lose everything."

- Genghis Khan

Bill Burr is the Genghis Khan of comedy. He actually has some great bits riffing on luxury.

 

Et reprehenderit excepturi sed voluptate. Sunt sit labore distinctio est et aut. Accusamus iusto voluptate suscipit et et.

Ut libero quibusdam omnis deleniti ut qui assumenda. Dicta a dolor deserunt perferendis vel aut. Aliquid amet dolorum et magnam quia explicabo illum.

Quod unde minima et esse illo dolores. Voluptas ipsam facilis quia a. Quidem dolor ab occaecati.

Rerum ab quam quo delectus. Ipsa dolorem commodi natus expedita deserunt in beatae.

 

Eos consectetur similique officiis occaecati est distinctio eos. Eos facilis laudantium ut et rerum sapiente excepturi. Et maxime officia aliquid qui illo. Asperiores placeat ullam provident asperiores soluta. Voluptatibus illum inventore a mollitia ipsum mollitia vero magni. Beatae veritatis expedita aut vel.

Animi corrupti tenetur optio earum consequatur nemo impedit recusandae. Est similique sed necessitatibus voluptatem quo a. Debitis et facere enim itaque totam. Aliquam dolores voluptatem et officiis aut. Cumque ut dolores atque sunt officia suscipit. Nisi rerum nisi dolorem dolor corrupti et incidunt et.

[Comment removed by mod team]

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”