The performers at the ‘Instagram Reels Comedy Club’ weren’t your typical stand-up acts

Studies have suggested that comedy is one of the most powerful categories for short-form content, since creators can easily fit a setup, turn, and punchline into a one-minute runtime. To promote some of the funnypeople who have achieved widespread recognition for their vertical videos, Instagram gave them their own stand-up show in New York.

The location of the performance, Caroline’s, is a well-known venue in Midtown Manhattan. For one night, that space was transformed into the Instagram Reels Comedy Club, where several stand-ups delivered IRL versions of bits that originated on Reels. Comedy duo Alex and Pablo of the @durafest2 account recorded some of the highlights for their followers. There was a candy cart, a custom playbill, a cookie with Harry Styles’ face on it, and a guest host: Punkie Johnson, who has been a Saturday Night Live cast member for three seasons.

Beyond Alex and Pablo, other acts at the Instagram Reels Comedy Club included @jayo, @nicktrawick13, @bigfoot_bae, @tessplease, and @mayainthemoment. These creators have blended effects, memes, and fictional identities to create a unique style of comedy that is best consumed via short-form formats like Reels, TikToks, and Shorts.

Compared with other acts who have performed at Caroline’s, such as John Mulaney and Tracy Morgan, the laughsters who took the stage during the Instagram Reels Comedy Club may not be household names — yet. But by giving some of its funniest personalities a public platform, Instagram is hinting that these up-and-comes could be what’s next in comedy.

This event is one of several initiatives Instagram has undertaken to support its creative community in 2022. The platform opened a portal “for creators, by creators” in March, and it had an expanded presence at Meta’s Creator Week in October.