UTA’s Blair Kohan and Jason Heyman Break Down How Comedy Is Evolving in a Post-Pandemic Industry

Comedy has shifted dramatically since the pandemic, and UTA board members and partners Blair Kohan and Jason Heyman are laying out exactly how the business has changed on Variety’s Strictly Business podcast. They explain that the work of being a comedian today comes with new opportunities and new challenges, especially as traditional platforms lose dominance and new ones rise.

Kohan highlights how audiences still crave the shared joy of laughing together, noting that the boom in live comedy experiences is driven by people wanting to be in the same room again. She points out that many of the most memorable comedies from the past 25 to 50 years were experienced in theaters, and she believes today’s audiences are missing that sense of community.

Heyman addresses whether classic network sitcoms like Modern Family and Everybody Loves Raymond could exist again in today’s landscape. He explains that the old structure of pilot seasons, upfronts, and rigid network schedules has disappeared. This gives creatives more flexibility to jump into projects only when inspiration strikes, but it also removes the reliable system that once helped build comedy stars.

Kohan talks about how rising talent increasingly comes from social media platforms instead of traditional incubators like Comedy Central or Funny or Die. She mentions that while SNL still serves as a major launchpad, much of that early-stage discovery has moved to Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. She cites Rachel Sennott and her HBO series I Love L.A. as an example of what she calls a reverse-incubation effect, where creators first grow independently online and then get picked up by major platforms.

According to Kohan, comedians like Matt Rife, Nate Bargatze, Leanne Morgan, and Ali Wong build audiences directly, which gives them more control when they transition into mainstream Hollywood projects. She believes these artists come in with a stronger understanding of what their audience wants, something that wasn’t as common in the pre-social-media era.

Heyman expresses concern about how few R-rated theatrical comedies make it to movie theaters now. He argues that if the industry doesn’t invest in producing these films, audiences won’t return to watching them in cinemas. He says that younger moviegoers rarely even consider going out to see a comedy in theaters anymore, which he sees as a major shift away from how people once consumed the genre.

The conversation also touches on Heyman’s long-time work with multihyphenate comedians like Will Ferrell, reinforcing how the role of a comedian has expanded into writing, producing, and creating across formats. Both agents agree that while traditional paths have narrowed, the number of ways comedians can express themselves has exploded.

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