Beer-Throwing Hecklers Continue to Be A Thing At Comedy Shows

At the end of last year, we declared 2022 to be the year hecklers declared war on comedy. Chris Rock got smacked by Will Smith. Dave Chappelle was tackled by a guy with a gun-knife. Ariel Elias made her late-night debut after a Trump fan chucked a half-full beer can at her, only for her to chug the last few sips.

2023 was supposed to be different – Rock struck back at Smith with Selective Outrage. Joe Rogan created a safe space for Roseanne Barr and the rest of the “canceled” comics. And, seemingly, the rest of the world returned to the old model of comedy shows wherein the person with the microphone tells jokes and the people in the seats drink beer and laugh. It may seem like a strange setup, but that’s been the winning formula for years before audiences decided that laughing was less fun than shouting and drinking a beer was inferior to launching one at someone’s face. 

Apparently, one crowd in London is still stuck in 2022. Irish comedian David McSavage recently performed a show at the Top Secret Comedy Club in the U.K. capital, but the set was suddenly cut short when a heckler who had been hounding McSavage decided to take their argument one step further, launching a pint glass towards the stage that missed McSavage’s skull by a matter of centimeters. 

“You know I can’t really top that. I think that was it,” McSavage reflected as security escorted his attacker out of the club. “What a finale. Enjoy the rest of your night.” If that seems like an abnormally calm response to barely ducking brain damage, remember – Irishmen who can’t dodge an English projectile don’t last very long, historically speaking.