Joe Rogan, a comedian and podcast host, has opened a new comedy club in Austin, Texas, welcoming comics who are not afraid to touch on "third rail stand-up" or "risky subjects."
The Comedy Mothership club features comedians who are not afraid to explore subjects that some people do not think should be funny. Rogan believes that stand-up comedy is all about exploiting issues people are scared of, making it so attractive. The club is set up for comedians to develop their material, and guests must check their cell phones at the door.
"When people do risky subjects, it's my favorite shit," Rogan told The Free Press. "We don't do it as an alternative to comedy. We do it because that is comedy."
Rogan's Comedy Mothership opened on March 7, and tickets to the opening shows sold out in minutes. Some resale tickets are listed as high as $900 on StubHub. Comedians who have been barred from performing elsewhere, such as Roseanne Barr, Dave Chappelle, and Shane Gillis, have all performed at the club since its opening.
"We're just trying to make it a great creative space for stand-up, almost like a laboratory, like the best place to develop material," Rogan told The Free Press. "The more the new people kill, the more the people that are above them get better, and we all get better. Iron sharpens iron in comedy. When you're around all these killers, it's like everybody gets better."
Club guests praised Rogan's club, saying it suits Austin and America. "I think it's a very big deal that Joe is opening his own club. It's providing an opportunity for people to come speak their mind for free speech without fear of repercussion or being canceled," said a guest named Brady from Phoenix, Arizona. "Reminder that comedy is supposed to be funny. Everyone is here to have a good time, and that's really what this is the embodiment of is free speech."
"It's certainly good for Austin, but I'd say it's even good for the country. I think right now we're in a point where everyone, it's cancel culture. Everyone's afraid to speak up, everyone's afraid to speak out, and having a place like this where folks can come and just joke around and have a good time and not fear repercussion or fear that they're not going to be booked again or anything like that. It is truly freedom of speech, and it's good for Austin, and it's good for the country, it's good for Texas. It couldn't be better," he continued.
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