5 Dead Comics Who Would Have Been Slam-Dunk Podcast Hosts

Everyone knows that Joe Rogan is the king of comedy podcasting, but that’s only because Patrice died before they invented Patreon.

In the contemporary comedy climate, just about every single stand-up has their own podcast — from the superstars to the open-micers. The democratization of the pathways to audience-accrual coupled with the unfortunate affordability of passable podcasting equipment has given every comedian their own platform free from the limitations of the clubs and soundstages that traditionally guarded the gates of success in stand-up. Every single comedian who wants to raise their profile in show business has to have a massive digital footprint to become a household name, and there’s no easier way to flood the internet with content than to record yourself and your buddies sitting around shooting the breeze in 90-minute increments once a week.

The vast majority of these shows are absolutely unlistenable as room-temperature-IQ comedians demonstrate how difficult it is to build a full hour of funny material by floundering in an improvisational setting, but the business model is a sound one for those who can make it work. In addition to Rogan’s show, Marc Maron, Bill Burr, Theo Von, Tom Segura and tons of other white-guy stand-ups have elevated their brand with popular podcasts. However, there are, sadly, so many deceased comics who will never have the chance to host their own show or rake in reliable $5 subscriptions every month from their premium followers. A recent thread in the stand-up subreddit recently discussed which dead comedians would kill in the podcasting game. Here are their top picks, starting with…