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And I was wrong.
New Yorks famed Comedy Cellar and Gotham Comedy Club now use them.
Ali Wong, Hannah Gadsby, and Kevin Hart are just a few others whove instituted Yondr policies.
Its also a go-to move for comedians who are on the comeback trail after #MeToo scandals.
Aziz Ansari had them duringhis shows in 2018, following an accusation of inappropriate behavior with a woman.
But many comedians have answers to all the concerns about cell phone recording.
If you say Dont, then they usually wont.
I always want people to share my work.
I just dont see the harm in it.
Youre in control of it, saysRachel Sennott, a fellow New York comedian.
Cohen, meanwhile, wont add videos of songs shes already shared multiple times.
But usually if I look good, Ill just post it, she says, laughing.
Discovery is obviously the biggest boon to having performances shared on Instagram.
Weve been introduced to so many other young comedians because of this, says Keith Lucas.
Before, you had to go to the club to scout and ask people, Whos hot?
Now with Instagram, were able to just watch a bunch of them and see whos doing great work.
New YorksLorelei Ramirezsees it on a more practical level: People seeing you working always helps in some way.
I hate being beholden to it, but we dont live in a capital-Iindustrytown, she says.
We dont have Comedy Central or Viacom three blocks away.
Its good for people getting the vibe of our show.
Its like a built-in trigger warning.
You do it and then you get people coming to your show in Richmond, Virginia.
I like that theres not a lot of pressure to have it be totally formed.
Comedy is always funnier when it feels messier.
Its playful and fleeting.
Its helpful when someone captures a riff or something off script, says Cohen.
Ill see it the next day and be like, I forgot about that.
I should say that again.
She and Sennott both agree that the presence of phones doesnt make them shy away from experimentation.
Ramirez agrees, saying, My sets are never exactly the same anyway, so I dont care.
I say, Film me until you cant.
A joke is never really complete, says Kenny.
Social media allows for comedians to embrace that more dynamic process of telling jokes.
Adds Keith, Youve seen the rise of podcasts for comedians.
People are enamored with the process itself.
This is just an extension of that.
And it didnt stop them from enjoying the joke, says Keith.
Sometimes they even enjoy them more.
We were in Philly last year and a couple, theyd just lost their son.
Its insane how many people you might reach utilizing social media and use your comedy to spark conversations.
All seven comedians agree on two points.
First, that Instagram and social media play an unhealthily outsize role in our lives.
Does it impact work productivity?
But maybe work is part of the problem, says Keith.
Its unreal how fast your material can travel, says Kenny.
Thats beneficial to all comedians.
Its really a paradigm shift.
Theres no other way to phrase it.
Its a true revolution, and whats going to happen is that more voices are going to be heard.
