Comedian Liz Miele has recently faced a significant drop in her earnings, losing around 25% of her income, and she is not the only one experiencing this setback.
SiriusXM has discontinued its Raw Comedy/Raw Dog channel, which showcased a diverse lineup of over 800 comedians, replacing it with a new channel helmed by renowned comedian Sebastian Maniscalco.
As a result, Miele and many other working comedians have lost an essential avenue for income and visibility, while established celebrity comics now dominate the airwaves.
“Last year was financially challenging for me, and I managed to get by thanks to Sirius XM,” the comedian based in Los Angeles shared with As It Happens host Nil Köksal.
“I have friends who are caring for ill parents and are unable to travel for gigs. One friend just had a baby, and they are on maternity leave… This [channel] was a lifeline for countless comedians trying to make ends meet.”
Maniscalco and SiriusXM claim that the new channel will provide opportunities for comedians at various stages of their careers.
However, the statistics reveal a different situation, as reported by the industry advocacy group Stand Up for Standup.
Prior to the channel’s revamp, Raw Comedy regularly featured over 800 comedians each month, with each receiving $15 US in royalties for every play of their material.
‘A concentration of wealth’
According to the advocacy group, the newly branded channel showcased only 275 comedians last month, with over 75% of plays going to the top 50 performers, including well-known names such as Chris Rock, Kevin Hart, and Jim Gaffigan.
Additionally, several deceased comedians, like Joan Rivers and Bob Newhart, are still included in the rotation.
“This is a concentration of wealth,” stated Miele, who was once one of the channel’s most-played comedians.
“It used to be a mix of comedians earning a reasonable income. Now, it’s a select few comedians raking in substantial profits, and those comedians do not need it.”
Comedian Liz Miele used to be one of the top-played comedians on Sirius XM’s Raw Comedy/Raw Dog. (Jim Cambridge)
Miele argues that without platforms like SiriusXM, future talents may never have the opportunity to succeed as Maniscalco has.
“We don’t have many ‘nepo babies’ like Hollywood does,” she noted. “Generally, most comedians start out as ordinary individuals without ties to the entertainment industry who decide to try stand-up… and only a few of them make it big.”
Canadian comedians take a hit
Toronto-based comedian Danish Anwar reported that he used to earn between $1,000 and $3,500 monthly in royalties from Raw Comedy, but that amount has now decreased by 30 to 40 percent.
He mentioned that he still makes money from his production company, Toronto Comedy All Stars, yet many of his fellow comedians are facing tougher circumstances.
Toronto comedian Danish Anwar says comics need to join forces as the industry faces threats from consolidation and AI. (Ramy Arida)
“They likely invested years of work into an album, spending thousands of dollars to feature it on Sirius XM, and had become what I would term the middle class of comedy through those residuals,” he remarked.
“That is now gone.”
He also pointed out that many Canadian comedians who aspire to build careers in the U.S. rely on SiriusXM royalties to maintain their work visas.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see many of them having to return here,” he added.
Maniscalco says it wasn’t his call
Numerous prominent comedians — including Patton Oswalt, Michelle Wolf, and Marc Maron — have urged Maniscalco to ensure that emerging comedians have opportunities to grow their careers.
“Get those young comedians back on the SiriusXM channel. Let them receive those checks. Let them keep working and progressing,” Oswalt stated in an Instagram video. “It keeps our profession vibrant and enjoyable.”
Patton Oswalt, seen here at the SiriusXM studios in New York City in 2024, is one of the more famous comedians speaking out about the station’s decision to axe hundreds of working comics from Channel 99, formerly known as Raw Comedy/Raw Dog. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Maniscalco addressed the criticism with his own video on Wednesday, asserting that he had no part in the decision to terminate Raw Comedy and reduce the channel’s lineup.
In a statement sent via email, a SiriusXM representative confirmed that the decision to eliminate Raw Comedy was made before Maniscalco joined the organization, citing the channel’s “underperformance.”
“While the challenges confronting working comedians are larger than any single person or choice, we remain dedicated, as we have been for over two decades, to ensuring SiriusXM and Sebastian Maniscalco’s Comedy Radio serve as platforms for comedians at all stages of their careers,” the statement said.
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In his Instagram video, Maniscalco commits to collaborating with SiriusXM to ensure that a range of different voices in stand-up comedy, from emerging talent to established acts, are represented on his channel.
“I understand how tough the journey is. Trust me, I’ve been there,” he expressed.
Anwar, however, remains skeptical.
“Nice words are one thing, but they don’t cover my expenses,” he remarked. “I can’t take Sebastian Maniscalco’s video, his sentiments, to the grocery store and buy bananas with that.”
A Canadian case study
Comedian Steph Tolev, originally from Toronto, is urging her American peers to learn from the history of Canadian comedy.
She was among many comedians who voiced their concerns in 2019 when SiriusXM’s Canada Laughs channel was taken over by Just For Laughs, resulting in the removal of its all-Canadian lineup. Just For Laughs later reversed this decision and apologized.
“We all spoke up, and they reinstated our plays,” she stated in a video on Facebook. “So guess what? It works, the power of the people.”
Comedian Steph Tolev says she’s not impacted by the SiriusXM shakeup, but she stands by comedians who are and calls on them to speak out to pressure the station to reverse its decision. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Anwar is doubtful this strategy will be effective with a U.S. company. Nevertheless, he emphasizes the need for solidarity — something that is often lacking in the comedy world.
“Perhaps more unity regarding pay, treatment, and labor practices, which are quite poor in the industry, could emerge from this situation. That might be a silver lining,” he suggested.
“Other than that, from a financial standpoint, we just got devastated. It’s a complete disaster.”
