# How do stand-up comedians deal with joke repetition? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comedian-jokes\ **Created:** [July 31, 2025, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-stand-up-comedians-deal-with-joke-repetition/1021562 "2025-07-31T22:05:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2025, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-stand-up-comedians-deal-with-joke-repetition/1021562/1 "2025-07-31T22:05:01Z")
I’m a big fan of ‘wit’ in daily interactions, though possibly not here particularly. But I despise knowingly telling the same joke twice. Don’t professional comedians find telling the same gags, again and again (e.g. on a tour), erodes the humour of them to a soul-crushing degree? Or is it a matter of keeping the fresh wit off-stage to counteract this? ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2025, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-stand-up-comedians-deal-with-joke-repetition/1021562/2 "2025-07-31T22:12:23Z")
I’ve wondered how comedians like Louis CK deal with this because in some of his bits he pretends he accidentally slipped up and caught himself, but he has to do that hundreds of times on tour on the same bit. Pretending he made a mistake and caught himself in it. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2025, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-stand-up-comedians-deal-with-joke-repetition/1021562/3 "2025-07-31T22:25:11Z")
It’s a performance. Not really any different than being in a play and doing the same thing night after night. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2025, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-stand-up-comedians-deal-with-joke-repetition/1021562/4 "2025-07-31T22:31:20Z")
This. As someone who has done a tiny bit of standup….its a routine… you might vary up your delivery to find the best way to do the line. If you get so sick of a bit your delivery of it sucks….you’re not going to keep doing that bit. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2025, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-stand-up-comedians-deal-with-joke-repetition/1021562/5 "2025-07-31T22:47:53Z")
The secret is to not repeat the jokes to the same audience. The cycle seems to be that you workshop your new stuff to small informal club crowds, weed out the stuff that doesn’t work, take it on tour and refine it as you go, then “burn” it by recording a performance(s) for CD or TV. Forget all those jokes and then start the process again from scratch. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2025, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-stand-up-comedians-deal-with-joke-repetition/1021562/6 "2025-07-31T23:40:21Z")
I remember reading about Stephen Wright dealing with this. He was amazing at writing material, but wasn’t sure about performing it over and over again. Somebody told him to imagine he had designed and built an engine, and then he takes it around, starts it up and runs it for people. Apparently that worked for him. I’ve done some performing and for me, I was always aware that even if I had done the material many times before, it was the first time for each audience. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-stand-up-comedians-deal-with-joke-repetition/1021562/7 "2025-08-01T00:03:34Z")
It’s even worse for old rock musicians who have had to play their 60s hits for over 60 years. Deal or get out of the business. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-stand-up-comedians-deal-with-joke-repetition/1021562/8 "2025-08-01T00:03:40Z")
Is the OP a dad? Because somehow dads are able to surmount this problem, with ease. I am guilty of it myself. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-stand-up-comedians-deal-with-joke-repetition/1021562/9 "2025-08-01T00:04:17Z")
Not so different from musicians. Same set; different night. Again. Sigh. Take any famous singer & think of them performing, yet again, their greatest hit(s). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-stand-up-comedians-deal-with-joke-repetition/1021562/10 "2025-08-01T00:12:48Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Forget all those jokes and then start the process again from scratch. With the notable exception of a comedian who becomes widely known for a particular joke or bit, and fans expect to hear it (or, at least, a variation of it) in every show, such as: - George Carlin’s “Seven Words You Can’t Say on Television” - Bill Engvall’s “Here’s Your Sign” - Jeff Foxworthy’s “You Might Be a Redneck” - Gallagher’s “Sledge-o-Matic” - Ron White’s “Tater Salad” - John Pinette’s “Chinese Buffet (‘You Go Now!’)” ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-stand-up-comedians-deal-with-joke-repetition/1021562/11 "2025-08-01T00:43:32Z")
My wife got us tickets to see George Carlin in the early 1990s at a performing arts center in smallish nearby city. I was thrilled, but came away disappointed. Not because I expected him to repeat his classic routines, but because he did much too much “try it out and see how it works.” Unfortunately, a lot of it was clearly in the early stages of development and didn’t land. He then retreated to somewhat familiar material, but gave it enough variation that it sounded fresh. And he had such a vault of material by that point that he could pull that off. I loved that man, going back to the 1960s. He was as much a philosopher as a comedian. But still, I resented being the test audience for things he was just trying out. My older brother went to see Bob Dylan a few years ago. He told me it was the worst concert he ever saw, and he saw many of the greats. Dylan had his back to the audience, and wouldn’t play any of his vast catalog of legendary song, only music from his latest album. My brother said, “I didn’t expect to hear just his greatest hits, but I did expect to hear something that was familiar.” ---
**Author:** ![De\_La\_Rue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@De\_La\_Rue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/De_La_Rue)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-stand-up-comedians-deal-with-joke-repetition/1021562/12 "2025-08-01T00:45:59Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Because somehow dads are able to surmount this problem, with ease. I am guilty of it myself. Hi Guilty Of It Myself, I’m De La Rue. ---
**Author:** ![LoneRhino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lonerhino/32/1311_2.png) [@LoneRhino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LoneRhino)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-stand-up-comedians-deal-with-joke-repetition/1021562/13 "2025-08-01T00:48:18Z")
This sounds a lot like the time I saw Dylan in 1988. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-stand-up-comedians-deal-with-joke-repetition/1021562/14 "2025-08-01T00:50:09Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > It’s a performance. Not really any different than being in a play and doing the same thing night after night. I agree. It is a routine. Little different than anyone doing a character in a play night after night. I think where it differs is a good comedian can read the room and adjust some (e.g. end a bit that is not doing well sooner or draw a bit that is doing well out longer). Not to mention learning routines to deal with hecklers. It takes a lot of skill to be good at it. Louis C.K. did a video many years ago (before his ignominy) where he described how long and hard he worked to be successful and, mostly, was a failure barely scraping by. Regardless of what you think of him as a person it was an interesting insight into how difficult it is to be a good comedian. ETA: It was the video [Louis CK honors George Carlin](https://youtu.be/R37zkizucPU) if anyone is interested. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-stand-up-comedians-deal-with-joke-repetition/1021562/15 "2025-08-01T01:08:57Z")
> [@Staggerlee](#): > > I’m a big fan of ‘wit’ in daily interactions, though possibly not here particularly. But I despise knowingly telling the same joke twice. Don’t professional comedians find telling the same gags, again and again (e.g. on a tour), erodes the humour of them to a soul-crushing degree? Or is it a matter of keeping the fresh wit off-stage to counteract this? I’m not a professional comedian, but every other week I stand up in front of new employees and take them through orientation. At times, this can be for groups of 35+ people. Despite getting up there and giving them the same information time after time, each group is a little different, and the experience isn’t exactly the same. Some groups are what I like to call “dead fish” because during the whole of orientation they stare at you with lifeless eyes without acknowledging anything you tell them. Other times you have a group who is engaged and even asks questions. I imagine each time a comedian gets up there it’s a slightly different experience even if they’re telling the same jokes they told two hours earlier. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-stand-up-comedians-deal-with-joke-repetition/1021562/16 "2025-08-01T06:16:46Z")
I can identify with that, even if only from extremely limited experience. When I was a kid I performed two nights of a play (_The Importance of Being Earnest,_ if anyone is interested). The first night went really well and the audience was engaged and reacted as I’d expected, i.e. laughed at all the points I’d hoped. The second night, being inexperienced, I’d expected the same laughs at the same points. I was wrong, and they were a lot more muted. Which threw me off a little and got me worried that they just didn’t enjoy it the same. I guess experienced performers will take this all in their stride, but I found it a little disheartening. ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-stand-up-comedians-deal-with-joke-repetition/1021562/17 "2025-08-01T06:30:54Z")
I am a dad indeed, and there are some repeated quips - though I suppose ‘dad jokes’ almost require a certain groan-worthy predictability. ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-stand-up-comedians-deal-with-joke-repetition/1021562/18 "2025-08-01T06:40:22Z")
Thanks for the answers; I can see how comedians would treat a routine like a band might treat a set list, and vary it slightly according to audience. And professional comedians are presumably well-practiced story-tellers (whereas humour in my daily life is more ‘fire and forget’ one-liners). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-stand-up-comedians-deal-with-joke-repetition/1021562/19 "2025-08-01T06:49:41Z")
> [@Staggerlee](#): > > And professional comedians are presumably well-practiced story-tellers (whereas humour in my daily life is more ‘fire and forget’ one-liners). Most are, I think; while there have been numerous stand-up comedians whose acts are essentially just a series of one-liners (e.g., Henny Youngman, Rodney Dangerfield, Steven Wright), they aren’t common these days. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-stand-up-comedians-deal-with-joke-repetition/1021562/20 "2025-08-01T06:51:36Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > My wife got us tickets to see George Carlin in the early 1990s at a performing arts center in smallish nearby city. I was thrilled, but came away disappointed. Not because I expected him to repeat his classic routines, but because he did much too much “try it out and see how it works.” I kind of had the opposite experience. I saw Gallagher when he gave a performance at my small college town. This was well into his career, after he had done numerous appearances on television. But the material he did on stage was the same as the material he had done numerous times on tv. If you were any kind of Gallagher fan, you would have seen pretty much the entire act. (In case anyone is wondering, this was Leo Gallagher not his brother Ron.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-stand-up-comedians-deal-with-joke-repetition/1021562.md?page=2)