Proposal Title
Quarantine Comedy: Podcasts of the Pandemic
Submission Type
Individual Paper (In Person)
Start Date
June 2022
End Date
June 2022
Abstract
In April 2020, a study analyzed the transcripts of more than 20,000 podcast episodes to investigate which genres addressed COVID-19 to what degree over the months of January, February, and March. Unsurprisingly, news podcasts took the top spot on the list; however, it proved baffling even to the study’s conductors that comedy podcasts came in second place, discussing the pandemic more often than science, health and fitness, or society and culture podcasts, among others.
With the shutdown of comedy clubs and other live venues, the pandemic has both caused severe un- and underemployment for comedians and, relatedly, evinced a proliferation of online comedy material across media forms, from TikTok and Instagram Live Shows to Zoom events and podcasts. Focusing on podcasts hosted by women and/or queer comedians that were either started or significantly transformed during the pandemic, such as those of Ashley Ray, Tig Notaro, Jen Kirkman, Janelle James, and Jes Tom, this paper will focus on how these comedians see their roles and contributions as comedians in a world changed by the COVID-19. And, in return, in what ways has the pandemic changed the comedy podcast landscape?
Quarantine Comedy: Podcasts of the Pandemic
In April 2020, a study analyzed the transcripts of more than 20,000 podcast episodes to investigate which genres addressed COVID-19 to what degree over the months of January, February, and March. Unsurprisingly, news podcasts took the top spot on the list; however, it proved baffling even to the study’s conductors that comedy podcasts came in second place, discussing the pandemic more often than science, health and fitness, or society and culture podcasts, among others.
With the shutdown of comedy clubs and other live venues, the pandemic has both caused severe un- and underemployment for comedians and, relatedly, evinced a proliferation of online comedy material across media forms, from TikTok and Instagram Live Shows to Zoom events and podcasts. Focusing on podcasts hosted by women and/or queer comedians that were either started or significantly transformed during the pandemic, such as those of Ashley Ray, Tig Notaro, Jen Kirkman, Janelle James, and Jes Tom, this paper will focus on how these comedians see their roles and contributions as comedians in a world changed by the COVID-19. And, in return, in what ways has the pandemic changed the comedy podcast landscape?
Bio
Kriszta Pozsonyi is a PhD Candidate in the Performing and Media Arts Department of Cornell University. Her dissertation focuses on women performers in American stand-up comedy between the mid-forties and the mid-sixties. She has previously presented her work at SCMS, Console-ing Passions, ATHE, and Screen conferences, and she has published an article on humor and pedagogy in the media classroom —co-authored with Seth Soulstein— in Cinema Journal.