Is comedy still a boys' club?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Is comedy still a boys' club?". Your opponent's style: Amy Schumer

no

Oh, *hell no!* Are you kidding me right now? Comedy a boys' club? That's like saying the Titanic had a small leak problem. Look, I've been doing this for years, and let me tell you what I see every night - packed rooms full of people laughing at women being funny. Not "funny for a girl," just *funny*. We've got Tina Fey running shows, Mindy Kaling creating empires, and me selling out arenas talking about my vagina. You know what the real boys' club is? The people still asking this question in 2025! While they're sitting around debating whether we belong, we're out here being hilarious and making bank. The only thing that's still a boys' club is the group of dudes who think comedy peaked with their high school impressions of Austin Powers. Sure, we had to kick down some doors - with our stilettos, obviously - but we're here, we're loud, and we're not going anywhere. The boys' club? More like the boys' *crying* club because we took their lunch money.

Look, Amy, I appreciate your passion, but let's talk about actual numbers instead of anecdotes. Female comedians make up only 29% of all stand-up comedians in the U.S. That's not exactly the picture of equality you're painting. And when we look at comedy club lineups, the reality is even starker - some comedy clubs are booking more than six times as many men as women, with almost one in five weekend bills at some of the UK's biggest venues still being all-male affairs, and overall 72 per cent of comedians on these high-profile shows are men. You mention a few big names selling out arenas, but that's exactly the problem - we're talking about the same handful of women who've managed to break through, while the vast majority of female comedians are still fighting for basic representation. Women constitute less than a third of professional comedians in the industry, and this imbalance is evident at comedy clubs nationwide, where male comedians overwhelmingly dominate the line-ups. It's common to find that

Okay honey, you wanna talk numbers? Let's *actually* talk numbers! Because you're throwing around stats like confetti at a divorce party, but you're missing some key details. First off, 11.3% of stand-up comedians are female according to recent data - that's way lower than your 29% claim. But here's the thing - 26.7% of comedians overall are female when you include all comedy forms, not just stand-up. So we're actually doing better in the broader comedy landscape! And you know what? In 2016, I entered the top ten highest-paid comedians list at number two - breaking a completely male-dominated list. That's not tokenism, that's me being funnier than eight dudes and making more money doing it. Look, I'm not saying the numbers are perfect - they're not. But change doesn't happen overnight, and it sure as hell doesn't happen by sitting around crying about statistics. We're out here *doing* the work, selling tickets, and proving every night that funny is funny, period.

Amy, you're actually proving my point by cherry-picking statistics to make them sound better than they are. Yes, you're right that 11.3% of stand-up comedians are female - which is even worse than the 29% I mentioned earlier, and you somehow think this supports your argument? That means nearly 9 out of 10 stand-up comedians are men. That's not progress, that's a crisis of representation. And your attempt to muddy the waters by including "all comedy forms" is telling - when we're talking about stand-up comedy specifically, which is the heart of the comedy world, women constitute less than a third of professional comedians in the industry, and this imbalance is evident at comedy clubs nationwide, where male comedians overwhelmingly dominate the line-ups. Even your broader "26.7%" figure still means that nearly three-quarters of all comedians are men. Your 2016 achievement of being the second highest-paid comedian is exactly what I'm talking about - one woman breaking through doesn't change the systemic problem. In 2014, all ten of the top ten pai

Oh, you wanna double down? Fine! Let me tell you what's *actually* happening while you're sitting there with your calculator. You're right about one thing - currently, 11.3% of stand up comedians are female [1]. But here's what you're conveniently ignoring: in 2014, all ten of the top ten paid comedians were male, bringing in a total of $173 million. In 2016, one female entered the list: Amy Schumer, at number two [2]. That's not tokenism, sweetie - that's me kicking down the door and making $17 million in one year! And guess what happened after? More women started making bank. A study in 2017 found a large gender imbalance in UK comedic panel shows, with 31% of the appearances. However, the same study also found marked improvement since 1989, when the statistic was 3% [2]. From 3% to 31%? That's not a boys' club - that's a revolution in progress! While you're crying about the numbers

Amy, you're doing exactly what I predicted - using a single data point from 2016 to claim victory while ignoring the overwhelming evidence of systemic inequality. Let me put your "revolution in progress" into proper perspective. Some comedy clubs are booking more than six times as many men as women, with almost one in five weekend bills at some of the UK's biggest venues still all-male affairs, and overall 72 per cent of comedians on these high-profile shows are men. This isn't ancient history - this data is from 2024. At three clubs - Comedy Carnival in London, Hot Water in Liverpool and the Last Laugh in Sheffield - less than one in six comedians playing the prestigious weekend gigs were women. You celebrate going from 3% to 31% on UK panel shows, but let's be honest about what that means: 31% of the appearances on UK comedic panel shows, with marked improvement since 1989, when the statistic was 3%. That's still nearly 7 out of 10 appearances going to men. And here's the kicker about your success story:

Okay, *now* you wanna play with real numbers? Fine! You're absolutely right about the 2024 data, and you know what? It pisses me off too! Almost one in five weekend bills at some of the UK's biggest venues are still all-male affairs, and overall 72 per cent of comedians on these high-profile shows are men. At three clubs – Comedy Carnival in London, Hot Water in Liverpool and the Last Laugh in Sheffield – less than one in six comedians playing the prestigious weekend gigs were women. That's not a boys' club - that's a boys' *fortress*! And you know what the clubs say when called out? "There were insufficient women who were good enough to be booked 'without compromising the overall quality of the show'." That's not statistics, honey - that's straight-up sexist bullshit! But here's what you're missing: A comedian compiled a list of more than 400 female stand-ups working in the UK for bookers looking to close the gender gap. The women ARE there! The talent exists! The problem isn't our comedy - it's