Sebastian Maniscalco is setting the record straight after fellow comedians caused an uproar following his takeover of SiriusXM’s Raw Comedy channel, formerly known as channel 99. When dozens of comedians found themselves axed from the station’s rotation of bits, from which they earned royalties, many of them took to social media to implore him to reinstate themselves and other up-and-coming comedians back into the rotation.

Earlier this week, Josh Johnson, Patton Oswalt, Margaret Cho, Jordan Jensen, Michelle Wolf and Matthew Broussard and more appeared in reels and Instagram stories, urging Sebastian to do something to help the comedians who had been affected by the programming change. And despite initially staying quiet, Sebastian is now speaking up in an attempt to address the concern.

Yesterday on Instagram stories, he was adamant that he had nothing to do with making the decision that led to over 500 comedians finding that their bits had been axed from being in rotation on Raw Comedy. He also reassured comedians and fans alike, saying that he ‘hears and supports’ them, that he knows the grind all too well, and that he’s working with SiriusXM to ensure newer talent and established comedians will all have a fair shake at getting their time on air. He pleaded with comedians to be patient with him as he ‘just got here’ and is working through the transition, telling them he’s certain they’ll be content with the end results.

For a bit of background, the deal was announced this past April, when Sebastian teamed up with SiriusXM to become a namesake on the satellite program. The channel, set to be called Sebastian Maniscalco’s Comedy Radio, was introduced as a 24/7 comedy destination and has since become the home of a series of podcasts, some curated and headlined by Sebastian himself.

But there was a slight shift in plans and instead of introducing a net new show, the channel ended up taking the place of a pre-existing channel called Raw Comedy, which has helped springboard lesser-known comedians into the spotlight as well as act as a consistent source of revenue for comedians, many of whom already have an incredibly hard time maintaining a steady income.

Here’s how it worked prior to Sebastian’s takeover: comedians would get $15 in royalties every time a bit of theirs played on the channel. But also, it gave their work a pretty solid place to be heard. These royalties, which, may not sound like much, actually translated into being a vital source of income that helped comedians maintain their lifestyle, which, in a lot of cases, includes a great deal of travel and boarding, which many of them have to pay for out of pocket. Now, though, up and coming comedians are hardly getting any play at all.

An organization called Stand Up for Standup estimates that the current roster of comedians who received spins on the channel has decreased by nearly 70%. The organization says while it absolutely agrees that program changes are to be expected with any sort of rebrand, they are highlighting the dangers to what’s referred to as the ‘middle class of comedy’.

In April, the organization points out that there were 812 acts throughout the month. In September, that number went down to just 275. The other thing to consider here is that more than half of those plays are concentrated among the top percentile of those artists. In other words, the ones who are already famous, and thus, a lot better off financially than the roster of comics who were in the rotation before. Think Kevin Hart, Ricky Gervais, Jim Gaffigan – they are now the top-played comedians who have taken the places of lesser-known comedians like Jim Florentine, Liz Miele, Ian Edwards, and dozens of others.

One other glaring change is just how many women and comedians of colour have been ousted from the rotation. This is something Yamaneika Saunders, a Black female comedian, addressed on her iHeart podcast, ‘You’re the Problem with Yamaneika’.

“Can somebody also get active for us when we don’t get paid? I’ve never seen this amount of white comics activated when you hit their pockets…you should see the contracts that I’m f-cking offered as a Black woman in comparison to all this f-cking money they have for a white man. They book me because I better be f-cking hilarious. Do you know how many white men I’ve had to eclipse?” she said during an episode of her podcast, which was shared to Instagram.

What Yamaneika is saying points to the larger issue of the crisis the ‘middle class’ comedians are finding themselves in – which is that it’s getting harder and harder to stand out, to make a name for themselves, and most importantly, to make money. Many of the middle class comedians are women, many of them are non-white. And many of them are struggling.

Some of them have started podcasts to supplement their income, but with the influx of A-list actors and comedians into the podcast space, the market has become even more competitive, particularly for those looking to snag brand deals. And it makes sense that brands might want to advertise on, partner with, and sponsor podcasts like SmartLess and the Good Hang with Amy Poehler before ever considering podcasts by lesser known talent, even though so many of them have been established for much longer.

Perhaps that’s why the move is so disappointing. Because if Sebastian, as per his own words in his response to all of this, really does know the struggle, then why would he even think to be part of something like this? But maybe, to his point, it really was above him. And maybe his involvement could mean that he’s got the pull and the power to help lift the voices of the up and comers and the comedians who so heavily depended on those royalties.

It's obvious that SiriusXM is platforming the comedians who are safe bets right now. Recently, I wrote about the $160 million dollar multi-year deal to become the new home of Paige DeSorbo and Hannah Berner’s Giggly Squad. Do you think they’re talking about politics on a podcast called Giggly Squad? So we see, very clearly, what’s happening here.

SiriusXM knows that the bigger voices of comedy have way more to lose and likely won’t be discussing too much politics, either. But that’s the beauty of the lesser-known comedians. With so little to lose, they do speak truth to power. They do say the uncomfortable thing out loud. And not only is that brave, but it’s needed. And sometimes, it’s really, really funny. Here’s to hoping that Sebastian comes through and that they can still find a way to make money doing what they love and what a lot of us need – laughter. 

Photo credits: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

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