That time I dropped $50 on a patreon subscription for a canceled comedian

I paid $50 for a year of exclusive content from a comedian who got kicked off Twitter for some old jokes, figured it was a way to support free speech or whatever. Turns out most of the content was just him complaining about being canceled and barely any new material, felt like I funded a grudge instead of comedy. Has anyone else backed a canceled creator and actually gotten their money's worth, or is this just how it usually goes?

3 comments

3 Comments

anthonymurray17d ago

Used to think throwing money at canceled creators was sticking it to the man, but you just made me realize I was probably funding a pity party instead. I was all about that "support free speech" angle too, figured it was the right thing to do. But hearing how the drama kills their creativity is a reality check. Now I see it's smarter to wait and see if they actually bounce back and make jokes again instead of just whining about the backlash. Guess you just saved me fifty bucks down the line.

jesser7916d ago

Wait, so you're saying my donations might've just been funding someone's victim spiral instead of actual comedy? I've thrown cash at a few of those "canceled" creators thinking I was making a stand, but now I realize I was probably just paying for their court dates and pity posts. That makes way too much sense, I'll definitely be holding my wallet until I see some actual new jokes come out of the mess.

anthonymurray18d ago

I read a thing a while back about how a lot of these canceled comedians actually lose their writing mojo after the drama. It's like the outrage becomes their whole personality. I remember seeing an interview with one guy who said the constant fighting online drains all the fun out of making jokes, you just end up defending yourself instead of creating. That $50 probably went straight to his legal fees or therapy or something, not a punchline. So yeah, you basically paid for a front row seat to someone's messy mental breakdown, which is maybe a different kind of performance than you signed up for. I've seen this pattern enough that I just skip any patreon from someone who's currently in hot water, better to wait a year and see if they actually make new stuff.