Student Blog: Integrity in the World of Comedy

I've always been an extremely moral person academically. I've never cheated on a test, plagiarized a paper, or broken a rule of academic integrity. However, now that I'm a major in comedic writing, the line between original works and stealing an idea gets unexpectedly thin. Within the classes in my major, I watch and study hours of existing comedy. From Charlie Chaplin to Kevin Hart, I've seen thousands of setups and punchlines in an infinite amount of formats. With this sheer amount of existing content, however, it becomes difficult to create work that is completely my own. This is a very common mental block, especially with people my age, as we seem to run into the fact that no idea is original anymore.

Joke theft isn't just a problem for amateurs either, as it's becoming an extremely prominent issue with even the most famous comedians. Iconic figures such as Robin Williams, Conan O'Brien, and James Corden have been accused time and time again for the plagiarism of jokes, and countless lawsuits have occurred around a large number of other celebrities for the exact same offense. Given the fact that most of these conflicts ended in anger and confusion rather than an answer to who wrote it first, my goal as a comedian is to never cause a sense of uneasiness in whether or not a punchline is my own.

My go-to step for creating fully original work, I've found, is documenting my unique experiences. Anything special to you that an audience can relate to, but isn't so common that you've seen it on a comedy show before? Write it down. Inspired by the life experience of a friend, or someone you know personally? Write it down! It took a while to realize that my audience wants to hear about me, not some common joke setup I thought up in the middle of the night. They want to see me as I am, hear about my life, and find a way to connect my comedy set to their own experiences. It's impressive to see how much more attention your set gains when your crowd knows you by the end. And, if you want to tell a silly little joke but you feel like you might've heard it somewhere before, never be afraid to do your research. Even if it's accidental, you can get in a whole lot of trouble for one little laugh.

All in all, comedy is meant to be personal. That's why it feels so offensive when a more well-known comedian takes your material- Someone is taking a piece of your life, a piece of your art, and selling it off as their own. You can never be too careful in trying not to make the same mistake yourself. Although comedy is a lot of fun and games, it is also defined by empathy and integrity. And, as I continue my studies in comedic writing through college, I will always find it incredibly important for this sense of ethics to stay in place in the art I love so dearly.