“The Virus Has Taken Away Our Stage, Our Work, And Our Identity”: Comedians React And Respond To Life In Quarantine

As their places of work shut down indefinitely, comedians in New York City seek to go viral through TikToks, virtual pubs, and even sneaker reviews.

Meghan Hanley, with the help of her two roommates, has just erected a makeshift studio in her New York City apartment where she is about to stream her untested comedy set on Instagram Live. It’s an entirely new setup for her. She doesn’t particularly like using social media, seeing it as distracting and distant. This is why, for the past twenty years, Hanley has performed her comedy in front of live audiences everywhere, from comedy clubs to cruise ships to overseas military bases. But amid social distancing and a coronavirus pandemic, live comedy sets are no longer possible. Hanley and hundreds like her—traveling comedians—have seen their comedy clubs shuttered and their gigs canceled.

“The virus took away our stage,” says Hanley. “Having deadlines, having shows, knowing that you’re going to be getting up to perform somewhere. Having all of that taken away so quickly is a shock to the system.”

With over 87,028 cases, New York City has been an epicenter of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. In response, local and state governments have issued orders prohibiting non-essential travel and large congregations, directly affecting the livelihood of the city’s renowned comedy scene. Well-known comedian, Mike Birbiglia, started the #tipyourwaitstaff drive to raise money for comedy clubs and staff during the pandemic; however, the prospects of the comedians that these clubs hire are increasingly uncertain. “Comedy and bartending were my two sources of income,” explains comedian Colum Tyrell. “With the pandemic, both were immediately wiped out.”

In response to this disruption, comedians have been forced to get creative in order to continue to engage with their fans, finding ways to have their comedy travel while they cannot. Tyrell, for instance, regularly hosts Collie’s Pub, a virtual bar over Instagram Live.

Social media isn’t an unusual place for humor. YouTube is home to several popular sketch comedy channels like SMOSH, CollegeHumor, and Studio C. Meme enthusiasts and former Vine stars have found their homes on Instagram. Yet, while those types of comedians depend on online virality and monetization as their principal source of revenue, social media has not been as important to the work of a traveling comedian.

“I’m aware that social media is a huge part of my job, but I’ve avoided embracing it head-on in the past. I don’t like it very much. It often makes me anxious or feel that I am missing out,” says comedian Brendan Eyre.

Even for the more willing comedians, the digital transition has been a difficult one as they struggle to carve out a place within an already crowded field of comedy creators and stay relevant. Comedian Erica Spera took her talents to TikTok where she makes movies-in-a-minute videos that save the viewer two hours of sitting through a film. She’s watched the social media platform famous for its short videos explode in popularity within the past year, but when the coronavirus made the app a potential platform for her comedic content, she initially was unsure whether she fit the mold of a TikTok creator.

“A lot of it seemed to be just children doing coordinated dances to music, and that wasn’t for me. With the quarantine, I suddenly had all this time to watch movies that people recommended to me, and I realized that they weren’t that good. I had an idea.”

“It’s funny,” remarks Eyre. “You take all these shots at comedy, and the things that blow up are those that come about when you’re bored and messing around.”

His viral moment wasn’t in sketch comedy or live-streaming but sneaker reviews.

“I saw a sponsored Nike ad in my Instagram feed one day and, being bored, decided to review them on my Story. I wasn’t trying to roast them. I was just giving silly sneaker reviews. It resonated like nothing I had ever done before. I received this flood of messages on what shoes I should review next. I hit something that people are relating to and want to be involved with.”

Despite being relative social media neophytes, these comedians have encountered an audience that is excited about what they have to bring. During Hanley’s first live-stream, the number of people dropping in to see her comedy set caused Instagram to crash three times. At the end of it, her planned half-hour show had stretched to an hour and the voluntary contributions through the links provided to her Venmo and PayPal paid her rent for the month.

But what surprised Hanley the most was the community that her live-stream fostered. She describes two shows happening that night—the one that she gave and the one occurring between viewers in the comments section. “Even though we were watching it separately, it felt like we were all together,” she says.

I think people are looking for some level of consistency, something to take their mind off the virus. I see my sneaker reviews as a micro way of doing that. They say, “Hey, I know life is hard now. You may be working from home. You may have been laid off. You may be going to a job that exposes you to coronavirus daily, but here’s something silly you can look at for five minutes every morning to distract from your troubles for a moment.”

Perhaps the widest social effect of the coronavirus has been loneliness. As people across the globe worry about their health and safety, many do this alone, separated from their family and friends due to a variety of circumstances. “If you think about New York after 9/11 everything was shut down,” remarks Spera. “But you could still hug your family or go to a friend’s house. That same interaction isn’t possible now.”

In the absence of these physical spaces, comedians have constructed them virtually, almost down to the minutest of details. Tyrell converts his entire apartment into a bar when hosting Collie’s Pub, complete with liquor, a jukebox, and the Irish-born comedian’s signature national flag. Putting both his comedy and bartending skills to good use, he provides jokes and cocktail tips to viewers around the world.

“I talk to regulars, see how their day is going. We all have a drink and laugh,” he says. “What started as a goof has come to mean a lot to people.”

For the foreseeable future, the threat of the coronavirus looms large. While comedians are, to varying degrees, optimistic about life after the pandemic, losing their ability to travel to and perform in comedy clubs to make others smile has challenged their incomes and identity. “Live comedy is what makes me feel productive in this world,” Eyre says. “It’s a small sacrifice compared to others, but it’s a hard one.” Like everyone else, the occupation has adapted to life in quarantine. Whether it’s recreating the energetic joy bar or a club, posting TikToks, or reviewing the sneakers of the day, comedians have turned their talents outwards, bringing smiles to our faces that we didn’t know we needed.