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TikTok has upended the comedy business. Instead of being scouted at small clubs, talented funny people are getting noticed on social media. Take Jane Wickline, who's in the TikTok comedy show "Stapleview." "Saturday Night Live" just announced her as a new cast member. As NPR's Elizabeth Blair reports, she and many other comedians you may not have heard of are winning millions of fans on the platform.
ELIZABETH BLAIR, BYLINE: South Florida resident Sandi Meredith says pretty much all she does on TikTok is watch comedy.
SANDI MEREDITH: Something to lighten the day, something to entertain.
BLAIR: One of her favorite comedians is Josh Robinson, a fellow Floridian who goes by the handle Omgitswicks. His sketches are all about living with the elements in the Sunshine State.
MEREDITH: The ocean, hurricanes, the insects.
BLAIR: Sometimes Robinson edits himself into video clips of only-in-Florida type sightings.
(SOUNDBITE OF TIKTOK VIDEO)
JOSH ROBINSON: What's going on out here?
BLAIR: In this one, he's in his car, watching three sandhill cranes stalk an alligator crossing the street. Robinson roots for the gator.
(SOUNDBITE OF TIKTOK VIDEO)
ROBINSON: Hey, man, don't look back. They on your trail. They on your - don't look back. Don't you look back.
BLAIR: Omgitswicks has 1.5 million followers on TikTok. Eventually, he put his content on other platforms, including YouTube. With the money he's made from brand sponsorships, Robinson was able to quit his job as a customer service rep at a call center.
ROBINSON: I didn't really have any expectations going into it, just having fun and being able to have a creative outlet. I never expected all of this to happen.
BLAIR: There are tons of comedians like Robinson who are creating their own sketches, putting them on TikTok and watching their fan base skyrocket. Another is Delaney Rowe, who's famous for her parodies of annoying female movie tropes. This one is called "The Character With Unwanted Supernatural Powers Who Just Longs To Be Normal."
(SOUNDBITE OF TIKTOK VIDEO)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) Dude, you've just flipped a car.
DELANEY ROWE: (As character) Shut up, shut up, shut up. I am literally just trying to pass trigonometry.
BLAIR: Since racking up nearly 3 million followers on TikTok, Rowe landed a big-time Hollywood agent and appeared in movies. As of now, #comedy has 911 million posts on the platform. That's more than #food, #fashion and #music.
KYLE KAZANJIAN-AMORY: The levels of virality are insane.
BLAIR: Los Angeles comedian Kyle Kazanjian-Amory is the founder of Don't Tell Comedy, which produces live stand-up shows around the country. He says TikTok helps comedians cut out the middleman - people like club owners and TV-show bookers.
KAZANJIAN-AMORY: It's kind of democratized things, where comedians aren't necessarily as reliant on gatekeepers.
DARCY MICHAEL: There were days where I'd open up TikTok and be like, oh, wow, we have 800,000 new followers in 24 hours.
BLAIR: Darcy Michael was a stand-up comedian for years. During COVID, when TikTok was exploding, he and his husband, Jeremy Baer, started posting silly, day-in-the-life videos.
(SOUNDBITE OF TIKTOK VIDEO)
JEREMY BAER: I don't understand. You went to the store for eggs, and you bought a truck?
MICHAEL: Do you know how many eggs we're gonna be able to fit in this truck, Jeremy?
BLAIR: Darcy and Jer now have 3.8 million followers on TikTok and millions more on other platforms. Jer used to be an office manager for a supply company. Even though he'd never performed in front of an audience, Darcy says clubs and theaters started asking them if they'd like to do shows. He says tickets sold fast. They toured the U.S. They're about to tour the U.K. and Ireland, and in November they'll release their first special.
MICHAEL: I'll always have a soft spot for TikTok because they did something that 20 years in the industry couldn't do for me, and that was find my audience.
BLAIR: And for the comedy-loving audience, TikTok is an endless source of bits.
Elizabeth Blair, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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