We all have some activities outside of our work. They usually don’t bother anyone, but the more public they are, the more carefully we have to tread.
As one Redditor found out, these activities can sometimes cost you your job. When his day job company found out about the stand-up comedy bit he does on the side, the guy was fired on the spot. However, he wouldn’t go down that easily and took the matter to the court. Scroll down to read the full story!
More info: Reddit
Working while pursuing a comedy career can be challenging, but it's even more difficult if your company doesn't share your sense of humor
Image credits: Curtis Potvin (not the actual photo)
The man worked as a reporter at a public media organization for 5 years while doing stand-up comedy on the side, which nobody seemed to mind
Image credits: Austin Distel (not the actual photo)
When the management found out about it, he was called into a meeting and fired on the spot without any warning or a chance of fixing the situation
Image credits: JSLEI1
Image credits: Jakob Owens (not the actual photo)
The man didn't give up and took the matter to court, where the company tried to paint his comedy as hateful
Image credits: JSLEI1
The judge ruled in the man's favor, and the company had to reinstate him with a full year's back pay
The OP began by saying that he has worked as a reporter for The Pulse made by WHYY for 5 years. But when he’s not helping make science shows, the guy loves to spend his time doing stand-up comedy, going by the name Jad Slay.
The man explained that his team and the boss had long been aware of his side activity and had no objections. However, recently, the author got called into a meeting where he was accused of violating the company’s values because he posted his comedy reels on Instagram.
While the poster admitted that his act wasn’t the cleanest, he also said that he’s completely unknown as a comedian and performs to various crowds, who all seem to enjoy his humor and find no reason to be offended. Unfortunately, no one seemed to care about anything he was saying, and the guy got fired without any warning or a chance to fix the situation, even though health insurance was vital to the OP due to his illness.
Jad decided to stand his ground and fight back. He took the matter to the court, where the company representatives tried to brand him racist, sexist, and every other tag in the book. They even made the judge watch an hour of the man’s stand-up, taking every opportunity to paint it in ugly colors, but, in the end, the judge ruled against them.
Some months later, the company hoped to get back at the OP through arbitration hearings, where they were once again unsuccessful. The decision was made that the man was to be reinstated with a full year’s back pay and benefits.
The commenters under this post were divided. Some applauded the comedian for handling the situation and bad-mouthed the company. But, at the same time, others were less supportive, saying that according to the decision doc, the guy only won because of his union contract/position and that the ruling didn’t vindicate his comedy routines.
Image credits: EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA (not the actual photo)
Bored Panda reached out to Jad Sleiman, the comedian and the author of this story, for some additional commentary, and he gladly answered our questions.
When asked what inspired him to share this story online, he explained that he wanted to encourage others to fight back because no one has the right to limit people’s freedom of speech and creative expression. “Stand-up is one of the few things that makes me less afraid of my multiple sclerosis, and to think some exec who doesn’t like a joke can up and decide to take that away is obscene,” said Jad, adding, “No one can put hate in your heart.”
The comedian said another reason was the discouragement he felt when, after getting fired, people acted as if it was expected to get one’s life ruined over some harmless fun during off hours. It pained him that we tend to surrender so easily.
This wasn’t the end of the challenges for Jad. After the incident, everybody seemed to believe the company’s accusations without doing any research themselves. The man was quickly painted as hateful, and the public was turned against him.
Having his health insurance cut off, the comedian also struggled to get his sclerosis medicine, which undoubtedly impacted his quality of life. Fortunately, since the man was a Marine Corps veteran, these bills were eventually covered by the Veteran’s Affairs Department.
However, Jad also managed to find some silver lining in this whole mess. “Getting fired forced me to move to New York and go for broke on this stand-up thing, and it’s been like living a dream. I’ve been on more and better shows than ever before, and I feel actually quite lucky. I’ve made a lot of very funny friends, and it’s awesome just biking around the city doing spots.”
As of yet, there have been no new developments in the story, and the whole situation stands as it was written on Reddit. The man explained that the company could still decide to appeal, but he was certain they would lose, as arbitrations are very difficult to overturn.
Image credits: jadslay
Making a living off comedy alone is a very challenging thing that only a few ever manage to do. However, even if it’s hard to achieve, it doesn’t mean it’s impossible. While doing stand-up alone might not be enough, depending on your act, there are a few other activities that you could engage in using your comedic talents, and Stand Up Comedy Clinic is here to tell us what they are.
According to the article, you could:
- Perform comedy shows at colleges.
- Do comedic entertainment on cruise ships.
- Take on corporate gigs or write humorous speeches for CEOs, corporate presenters, or politicians.
- Perform comedy shows as fundraisers for non-profit organizations or schools.
- Write for talk shows, magazines, or internet sites.
- Create a comedy blog, podcast, or YouTube channel, build a follower base, and sell advertisements or merchandise with the possibility of getting a sponsor.
- Do comedy spots on TV.
- Go on tours with bands and open for them on the road.
- Write sitcoms, animated explainers, and comedy scripts.
- Try writing a comedy movie.
Ultimately, while comedy is undoubtedly enjoyed by many, it isn’t easy to earn your daily bread with. As long as you can balance it all, there is no shame in having a day job and doing these stand-up gigs on the side. Just be careful and ensure you won’t get fired for it because there’s no guarantee you’ll walk out a winner like Jad did, and even his journey was far from pleasant.
What did you think of this story? Who do you think was in the right here? Share your thoughts below!
Image credits: Stewart Munro (not the actual photo)