By: Tyson Paul
Back in 2015, Kevin Hart made headlines when he requested that a motion picture studio he was working for pays him more money for mentioning their upcoming film on his personal social media page.
Kevin Hart Interview w/ the Breakfast Club 1/16/2015
He would go on to explain how entertainers (especially comedians) don’t realize that their lives on social media can also become a major business that advertisers and other entrepreneurs will look to profit from.
During that time period, comedy clubs and promoters would also cash in on the craze by booking social media stars with huge followings as marquee headlining attractions at their venue thinking that viral presence would make a smooth transition to live comedy shows. This would begin an ongoing debate among comedy purists if social presence should overshadow comedic talent and experience when it comes to professional and financial gain.
This conversation would rear its unpredictable head last week as comedy legend Tommy Davidson took to social media in search of an opening comedian for his upcoming show at the Brea Impov Comedy Club in Brea, CA.
Tommy is best known as an original cast member on the late 80s/early 90s sketch comedy show “In Living Color” and co-starring alongside Jamie Foxx in 1997 feature film “Booty Call.” He continues to make fans laugh as a nationwide act as a stand-up comedian and currently stands at over 600k followers on all forms of social media, but only 111k on Instagram alone.
Now, any comedian would be gracious to jump at the chance to open up for a well-known comedian the caliber of Davidson, but where this application process takes a strange turn is when Davidson requires only comedians with 300k+ followers on social media to apply for the opening spot.
This post would cause several popular rising stars to voice their opinions and concerns over Davidson’s version of a “Hungry Comedian,” none louder than Leonard Ouzts who decides to let his thoughts on the matter be seen by the entire world on Instagram. In the post, Leonard shares his issues with Davidson’s cost efficient tactics by only wanting a “Local” comedian to apply, but basically needs to have a stronger social media following than the headliner himself.
Ouzts is a comedian from Virginia best known for his roles on MTV’s Wild ‘n’ Out and Netflix’s feature film Set It Up.
“? ???? hold on So the only way to be a hungry comedian is to have 300k plus followers. This the type sh*t that gets under my skin. 1st you tell them they gotta be local because you not paying for they travel, then they have to have a huge social media following. WHY ? It just doesn’t make sense to me. I could be wrong but this just feels like “ayeee somebody come bring them Tik Tok followers to the show” what y’all think ? @therealtommycat how you only got 111k followers but yo opener gotta have 300k. ??????”
-Leonard Ouzts (@ouztsyy)
Ouzts’ remarks didn’t fall on deaf ears as various notable comedians would leave comments on his post sharing their thoughts on the situation.
Tacarra Williams (@Tacarracomedy): He needs help selling tickets.
Ryan Davis (@ryandaviscomedy): This shit is insulting lol. You can get 300k followers just by posting other people’s shit. That doesn’t make you a hungry comedian ?. Don’t get mad, this is just a sign that niggas are phasing out. Whenever OGs start doing shit like this, it just means our time is that much closer. It says “I rather take advantage of a content creator that doesn’t know any better than to give an opportunity to an actual hungry comedian.” Because comedians with 300k or more followers don’t do shit for free.
Nore Davis (@NoreDavis): He washed
Jay Pharoah (@jaypharoah): I don’t agree with this ideology
Carly Aquilino (@carlyaquilino): I’m LOL!
Since social media backlash, Davidson would go on to delete his Instagram post and would select fellow veteran Eric Blake to feature alongside him at his Brea Improv show on July 30th-31st. Meanwhile, Ouzts has enjoyed his time on stage touring as one of the headliners on the highly popular Young, Black, & Funny Comedy Jam.
What are your thoughts on the entire situation?
What is your definition of a “Hungry Comedian” and was Davidson justified in his request as he searched for an opening comedian?
Leave a comment below.
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