After more than two decades in stand-up comedy, Joe DeRosa has learned that sometimes the biggest breakthroughs come after hearing “no” one too many times.
In a revealing appearance on The Black Hoody Podcast, hosted by Luke Girgis and streaming on YouTube, DeRosa sits down for an honest conversation about rejection, creative ownership, career reinvention and what happens when an artist refuses to wait for someone else to give them permission.
At the center of the conversation is DeRosa’s latest comedy special, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden—a project that took three years to complete and was initially rejected by Netflix, Hulu and HBO. Rather than allowing those decisions to determine the special’s fate, DeRosa released it independently through a new YouTube channel with virtually no existing audience.
What followed became a powerful lesson in the changing economics of comedy.
DeRosa began taking the independently released special through the comedy podcast circuit, gradually building an audience and watching the views climb. Eight months later, Netflix came calling—this time to license the very same special it had previously passed on.
The story serves as a compelling example of how comedians can create their own opportunities in an increasingly independent entertainment landscape.
During his conversation with Girgis, DeRosa also revisits one of the more frustrating moments of his acting career: his role on the CBS sitcom Living Biblically disappearing just two weeks before production was scheduled to begin. Rather than simply recounting the disappointment, DeRosa explores what career setbacks like that can teach an artist about resilience and maintaining control over their own path.
He also discusses Taste Buds, the popular podcast he co-hosted with Sal Vulcano, and how the success of the show dramatically changed his financial life. The conversation provides insight into how podcasting can become more than a creative outlet, creating meaningful opportunities and financial stability for comedians willing to build directly with an audience.
DeRosa further explains how his writing work on the Netflix series Tires eventually helped lead to a recurring acting role, demonstrating how different areas of his career have increasingly begun to intersect.
The conversation also touches on DeRosa’s frequent appearances on Kill Tony, his efforts to rebuild his career and creative momentum following COVID, and the importance of making audience demand impossible to overlook.
For DeRosa, the lesson is bigger than one comedy special.
Artists can spend years waiting for executives, networks, streamers or gatekeepers to decide that their work is worth supporting. But in today’s entertainment landscape, an audience can provide something just as powerful: proof.
When the numbers become impossible to ignore, the conversation changes.
The Black Hoody Podcast delivers an insightful look at what happens when a veteran comedian turns rejection into motivation, takes ownership of his work and allows the audience to make the argument for him.
Watch Joe DeRosa’s appearance on The Black Hoody Podcast streaming now on YouTube.
