Comedy Means Business

Could Ali G: Who Iz I? mark the end of Sacha Baron Cohen’s high-stakes clowning era? On this episode of Comedy Means Business, he joins Matt Grobar to discuss why he brought Ali G back after 20 years — and why he expects this to be the last film in his undercover-comedy series.Cohen breaks down the extraordinary level of planning that has made these films possible — from Ali G Indahouse to Borat, Brüno and others — while explaining the design of Who Iz I? as a fugitive thriller taking and his version of The Avengers. Elsewhere in the conversation, he gets into his early career ambitions and clowning studies with the late icon Philippe Gaulier, sword-fighting lessons for his new play with Tarantino, plus AI, conspiracy theories, political violence, and why comedy needs to remain free.

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Kate Berlant joins Comedy Means Business to discuss her debut HBO special Parmesan and finding the humor in today’s very weird and “precarious” new reality. She talks about growing up around artists, the influence of academia on her work, the instinctive nature of her approach to physical comedy, and her tendency to deconstruct her art form as she performs it. She also discusses reluctantly entering the world of comedy clipping and stand-up’s changing career ladder. Plus: her New York alt-comedy roots, hecklers, AI, acting — from Lizzie McGuire to Tarantino and the “Jesse Plemons roles” she craves— and recent inspiration from A24’s You Can See Everything.

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This week on Comedy Means Business, Matt Grobar sits down with American High’s Jeremy Garelick and Will Phelps to discuss the genesis of a singular comedy business. Based out of a decommissioned middle school in upstate New York that they converted into a private production facility, American High has in less than a decade produced more than 20 films, amassed billions of views on social, incubated talent and developed a low-cost pipeline designed to identify what projects deserve to scale. Now, the company finds itself at an inflection point, with the festival comedy Rolling Loud — marking its biggest wide theatrical release to date — and Minimum Wage — a series adapted from their viral web series, marking another departure from their usual base at Hulu. The duo discusses what success for the projects could mean for American High’s future, expanding recently via a new Georgia campus, and more.

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In this week's episode of Comedy Means Business, host Matt Grobar speaks with Jeremiah Watkins about his new self-financed special, Crazy Pizza, and how he hopes the meticulously crafted hour reflects on him as a comic. Alongside discussion of the special, Watkins dissects the blood, sweat and tears of his nearly 15-year comedy grind — including the four-and-a-half years it took to get passed at The Comedy Store. Over the course of an hour, the comedian discusses his early days as a founding member of Kill Tony, the surprise commercial windfall that bankrolled his early stand-up days, why he considers his live show Stand Up on the Spot "the hardest in comedy,” and more.

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Carisa Hendrix found her niche in live entertainment — and built an entirely unique business around it. On Deadline’s Comedy Means Business, the Canadian magician, comedian and variety artist traces her path from arts programs for at-risk youth to the creation of Lucy Darling, the glamorous, razor-tongued vintage socialite character that’s helped her become a global touring phenomenon.

In a discussion on what it takes to translate a viral online moment into a durable career, she lays out the calculated risks behind her independent operation, dishing on building her own ticketing algorithm, and why she’s currently running six shows at once. She also gets into the highs and oddities of life as a Vegas performer, setting two Guinness World Records, and more.

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In this episode of Comedy Means Business, host Matt Grobar sits down with Kountry Wayne to break down the blueprint behind one of the most unusual comedy empires in entertainment. Alongside his work on stage, the comic is making eight figures annually on social media — not with stand-up clips, but with serialized micro-drama soap operas that generate billions of monthly views. Wayne gets into the pivot that changed everything, the system he built to produce 1,200 videos a month without burning out, and the decision that allowed him to start making money while he sleeps. The burgeoning media mogul also talks about his recent Amazon special and upcoming projects including a self-financed indie and new app.

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In the first-ever live edition of Comedy Means Business, kicking off ComedyPRO programming at Just for Laughs Montreal 2026, host Matt Grobar examines the state of comedy development from three distinct vantage points.

Guests on the panel included Reg Tigerman, manager/producer and founder of The Laugh List; Maureen Taran, former JFL VP and newly appointed head of original content at Helium; and Danny Jolles, comedian, actor, and creator of the special What Happens in a Year, which premiered at this year’s fest.

Subjects covered included the decline and (hopeful resurgence) of the theatrical feature comedy, the increasingly blurry line between YouTube and Netflix, streaming’s impact on comedy in film & TV, pet peeves in development, how companies like American High, Smosh and Dropout are proving disruptors in the comedy space, and more.

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Jeff Arcuri joins Comedy Means Business to promote his debut special — and first for Netflix — Jeff Arcuri: Nice to Meet You, which cracked the global Top 10 for English TV series in its first week. At the heart of both the hour and this conversation: the hardest stretch of Arcuri’s life, navigating a year-and-a-half saga with his now-wife Katie Thurston’s stage 3 breast cancer diagnosis. We get into learning to talk about Katie’s diagnosis onstage, how he’s been changed by the experience, the learning curve of performing in the round, and more.

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Comedian Josh Johnson joins Matt Grobar to discuss Symphony, his first HBO special, and how it represents the beginning of a new creative chapter, reflecting his longtime interest in juxtaposing music and comedy in his work, and his interest in crafting timeless art. As someone who has built something genuinely singular in comedy — pairing the mainstream credibility of work on The Daily Show with a massive YouTube viewership built on the back of weekly, hour-long topical sets — he delves into his creative process and how he keeps the machine running. Elsewhere, he discusses community building, scalpers, Ticketmaster, how the attention economy has become its own gatekeeper, why he refuses to think greedy, and the philosophy at the heart of his output: if you're in the world, you must be worth the world.

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Eric André joins Comedy Means Business to discuss the making of his new Netflix comedy Little Brother —which he describes as What About Bob? meets Parasite — and the discipline with which he’s cultivated his singular brand of raunchy chaos, on and offscreen. In conversation with Matt Grobar, he also delves into mob-run comedy venues, his punk rock ethos, his admiration of Jackie Chan and new album Film Scores for Films That Don’t Exist, late night’s evolution, getting concussed by Little Brother co-star John Cena, and more.

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