Not Funny: what comedy's hard cases teach a working comic

Comics' fights in court shaped what every comedian can say on stage today.

Give performers clear, accurate information about the venue's own policies before the show.

Free speech and the rules of broadcasting are separate legal questions.

Know the venue's policy, the broadcaster's standards and the platform agreement before any recorded show.

A network choosing not to book an act is not the state censoring it.

Put standards, and any exceptions to them, in writing; rules applied unevenly are hard to defend.

The right to perform and the right to criticize can stand side by side.

Set expectations for programming and for how staff raise objections, without treating disagreement as misconduct.

When a story rests on competing memories, the most dramatic quote isn't the fact.

Keep a complaints process and notes made at the time, and look into a complaint without assuming either side is right.

A heckler's behavior and a performer's response are judged separately; the recorded words are the record.

Set clear expectations for performers and audiences, and know how staff step in before a confrontation grows.

Offensive speech and an employer's decision about it are not questions of crime.

Write conduct and social-media terms into agreements, and apply them the same way to everyone.

Judge a career across its whole length, not by its worst headline or its latest win.

Weigh what was actually said, and in what context, not only the size of the reaction.

A joke can be lawful and still clash with what an employer needs.

Spell out the expectations in a contract, and the difference between a club set and speaking for a brand.

An honest record can hold both a comic's work and their conduct.

Protect auditions, greenrooms and after-show time with clear rules, and forbid retaliation against anyone who reports.

Accounts don't all carry the same legal weight, and a serious debate about consent doesn't need a court case to matter.

Handle allegations with care, protect everyone's privacy, and never announce a finding that doesn't exist.

Criminal verdicts, reversals, civil findings and allegations are not interchangeable; read the actual outcome.

Don't decide on a headline. Keep a written decision process that tells legal outcomes apart, and apply it the same way every time.

An accusation, a jury's verdict and an acquittal are three different things, and fame doesn't change the standard of proof.

Keep a confidential way to report, preserve evidence, protect people from retaliation, and know when to bring in an independent investigator.

Hating a joke never justifies laying a hand on a performer.

Train staff to step in, clear a stage, report an incident, keep the evidence and look after the performer afterwards.

Every touring show depends on drivers, crews and fellow performers whose safety matters as much as the show.

Plan realistic travel windows, safe transport, insurance, and what happens to a show that has to be canceled.

Let comics decide what they share about their health; applause is no substitute for support.

Offer humane scheduling and confidential accommodations, and never ask for health details the booking doesn't need.

A comic's disclosure on stage is not an invitation into everything offstage.

Give performers room to set their own boundaries, and respect the line between public material and private care.