• 87 questions
  • Checked October 2026

Questions to Ask a Comedian

A printable sheet of twelve questions for a comedian, with a blank line under each for the reply.

Questions to Ask a Comedian

ComedianAsked byDate

  1. Write the comedian's name and the date at the top.
  2. Ask each question aloud and write the answer down as it is said.
  3. Skip any question. A comedian may pass on any line.
  4. In a class, give each student one question to ask.
Show all 20
  1. What did you do in your early sets that you would never do now?
  2. What do you write down that nobody else would think was funny?
  3. Where do you write: at a desk, on a walk, or on stage?
  4. How do you choose the first joke of the night?
  5. What kind of room do you like best?
  6. What do you do backstage in the last ten minutes?
  7. What do you find funny that you could never put in your act?
  8. What do you listen for in an audience before you speak?
  9. Which is harder, the first minute or the last?
  10. What does a good laugh sound like from the stage?
  11. What is the shortest joke you tell, and why does it work?
  12. What do you do with a joke that only you find funny?

Next step Funny talent show ideasQuestions about any job

All 87 questions

Good ones to start with 20

  • How do you choose the first joke of the night? Short, and about something everyone in the room can see.
  • How do you remember a whole hour of material? It is a string of stories. Each one hands me the next.
  • How is being funny on stage different from being funny with friends? Friends already like you. A stage starts at zero.
  • How many times do you tell a joke before you trust it? Thirty rooms, at least.
  • If you had one minute on stage tonight, which joke would you tell? The one about the self-checkout. It has never let me down.
  • What did you do in your early sets that you would never do now? Talk fast. Now it is fewer words and longer pauses.
  • What do you do backstage in the last ten minutes? Pace, and say the first line out loud.
  • What do you do with a joke that only you find funny? Keep it in for one show a month, for me.
  • What do you find funny that you could never put in your act? People trying to parallel park. It has to be seen.
  • What do you listen for in an audience before you speak? Whether they are talking to each other or looking at phones.
  • What do you write down that nobody else would think was funny? Signs. Someone always writes one word too many.
  • What does a good laugh sound like from the stage? Like a wave that arrives a little late.
  • What is the shortest joke you tell, and why does it work? Six words. The audience does the rest.
  • What kind of room do you like best? A low ceiling and chairs close together.
  • What will you never joke about, and why? Anyone who cannot answer back.
  • When did you first make a room of strangers laugh? A school assembly. I dropped my notes and kept going.
  • Where do you write: at a desk, on a walk, or on stage? In the car, talking to myself at red lights.
  • Which is harder, the first minute or the last? The first. Nobody knows yet whether they can relax.
  • Which part of your own life ends up in your act most often? My family's group chat.
  • Which piece of advice from another comic do you still hear on stage? Slow down. The laugh needs somewhere to land.

Writing a joke 14

  • Do you write alone, or try lines out on someone first? Alone, then on my sister, who never laughs to be polite.
  • How do you choose the exact word that gets the laugh? I try three out loud. For me "kettle" beats "teapot."
  • How do you find the surprise at the end of a joke? Write ten endings and throw away the first nine.
  • How do you know when to stop adding to a joke? When the extra line gets a smaller laugh.
  • How do you put jokes in order for a set? Strong, new, new, strong. Never two new ones at the end.
  • How do you turn a true story into a bit? Cut what is only true. Keep what is true and odd.
  • How long did your slowest joke take to get right? Two years for eleven words. It is about a ladder.
  • How often do you rewrite a joke that already works? Every week. One word at a time.
  • How short can you make a setup before it stops making sense? Shorter than I think. The audience fills in a lot.
  • What does a page of your notes look like? Arrows, crossed-out words and one circled sentence.
  • What is a callback, and when do you plan one? A nod back to an earlier joke. I plant it early.
  • What makes a pause work? The audience has to feel that something is coming.
  • Where do you put a funny thought that arrives at the wrong moment? In a pocket notebook with a pencil tied to it.
  • Where does a joke start for you: a word, a moment or a complaint? A complaint. Then I look for why it is my fault.

The first time on stage 13

  • Do you still have your notes from the first set? Yes, folded in a drawer. They are terrible.
  • How did you sign up for your first open mic? I wrote my name on a list by the door and nearly crossed it off.
  • How long was your first set, and how long did it feel? Five minutes. It felt like a school year.
  • How soon did you go back for a second try? The next week. Same cafe, different shirt.
  • What did that first night teach you that no book could? That silence is not the end. You just keep going.
  • What did you wear that night, and would you wear it again? A lucky shirt. It is retired now.
  • What did your hands do the first time you held a microphone? Shook. I held the stand instead.
  • What was the first real laugh you got, and what was the line? A joke about my bike lock. I can still hear it.
  • What were the first words you said into the microphone? "Hello." Then I forgot my own name for a second.
  • What would you tell yourself on the way to that first show? Say less, and look up.
  • Where was your first time on stage, and how many people were there? A cafe open mic. Nine, counting the staff.
  • Who came to watch your first set, and what did they say afterwards? My brother. He said, "You were loud."
  • Who went on before you, and what do you remember about them? A man with a ukulele. He was very kind.

When a joke fails 13

  • Have you ever fixed a failed joke by changing one word? Yes. "Uncle" became "dentist" and it worked.
  • How do you keep the next joke from sinking after one fails? Change the pace. A short one usually resets the room.
  • How do you tell a bad joke from a bad night? Try it in three more rooms before deciding.
  • What do comedians mean by bombing, and what do you do the day after? Getting no laughs. I write for an hour, then go back on.
  • What do you do in the second after a joke gets no laugh? Breathe, smile and start the next one.
  • What do you say when someone in the audience calls out? Something short and friendly, then back to the act.
  • What does a silent room teach you? Where I was talking too fast.
  • What has a failed joke turned into later? The setup of a better one.
  • What was the most silent audience you ever faced? A lunchtime show in a library. They whispered the laughs.
  • When did a mistake on stage get the biggest laugh of the night? I knocked over the stool. Best moment of the set.
  • Which joke did you drop that you still miss? One that needed a trombone.
  • Which joke were you sure of that never worked? One about soup. I still think it is good.
  • Who do you call after a hard show? A friend who started the same year I did.

On the road 13

  • How do you change your act for a different town? I swap the first two minutes and keep the rest.
  • How do you sleep after a late show? Slowly. I replay the set first.
  • How do you test a new joke when you are far from home? Tuck it between two that always work.
  • How is a show in a small room different from one in a theater? In a small room you can hear one person smile.
  • What do opener, feature and headliner mean, and which was hardest to earn? The order of acts on a bill. The middle spot was.
  • What do you do with the hours between arriving and going on? Walk the main street looking for something to open with.
  • What do you eat before a show, and what do you avoid? Toast. Never anything with garlic.
  • What do you miss most when you are away on tour? My own kettle.
  • What is always in your bag when you travel to a show? Notebook, spare shirt, throat lozenges.
  • What is the best thing a stranger has said to you after a show? "My dad laughed. He never laughs."
  • What is the oddest place you have performed? A garden center, between the ferns.
  • What is the smallest stage you have stood on? A pallet with a rug on it.
  • Who do you travel with, and what do you talk about in the car? Two other comics. Mostly snacks and road signs.

For a drama or speech class 14

  • How can I make a speech funnier without telling jokes? Add one true detail that nobody expects.
  • How do I make my voice carry without shouting? Aim the last word of each sentence at the back wall.
  • How do you know if the audience is with you? They lean in, and they stop looking at the door.
  • How do you learn your lines without sounding like you learned them? I learn the order of ideas, not every word.
  • How do you practice at home? Out loud, standing up, to a row of chairs.
  • How do you stop being nervous before you speak? I don't. I walk fast and use it.
  • How long should I wait after a funny line? Until the laugh starts to fade, then go.
  • How should I open a speech so people listen? With something the room can picture straight away.
  • Is it all right to laugh at my own joke? A smile is fine. Let them laugh first.
  • Were you the funny one at school? Not out loud. I wrote it all down instead.
  • What do you do with your hands on stage? One holds the microphone. The other gets one job at a time.
  • What is a beat, and how do I use one? A pause for timing. Count one in your head.
  • What is the best way to end a speech? Say the last line, stop, and stay still for a second.
  • What should I do if I forget what comes next? Pause, find one friendly face and take a breath.

How it works

These questions to ask a comedian are about the work: how many rooms it takes to trust a joke, what a good laugh sounds like. Five more cover writing, a first night, a failed joke, the road and a class.

Read the full guide

Great questions to ask comedians first

The sheet opens on twelve of the twenty in Good ones to start with, which any comedian can answer after any show. To stay on one subject, set the box under Print this list to Writing a joke, The first time on stage or When a joke fails.

Questions for a drama or speech class

For a drama or speech class holds fourteen in a student's words: what to do with your hands, how long to wait after a funny line, what to do when you forget what comes next. The example answers are invented and name no comedian, club or show.

Questions and answers

What are the best questions to ask a comedian?

The ones about craft, because every comedian answers them differently: how many times do you tell a joke before you trust it, how do you choose the first joke of the night, which is harder, the first minute or the last.

What are good questions to ask comedians after a show?

Ask about tonight: what they listened for in the audience before speaking, what they did backstage in the last ten minutes. If the room was quiet, When a joke fails has the gentle ones, such as what a silent room teaches.

What do comedians call the parts of their act?

A bit is one section of a routine, a callback is a reference to an earlier joke, and a beat is a pause for timing. A tight five is a well-rehearsed five minutes of a comedian's most reliable material.

What should you not ask a comedian?

Skip "say something funny" and anything about pay. Every line here is about the work: a joke, a stage, a room, the road. A comedian may pass on any of them.

More tools

Show 6 more

Browse Question Games