IT WASN’T ME

Superstar Comedian Breaks Silence on Damning Accusations

Sebastian Maniscalco received major backlash for a decision that hurts emerging comedians.

Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco has responded to a rising industry controversy involving SiriusXM’s decision to ax the Raw Comedy channel.

On Monday, SiriusXM announced that it would replace the Raw Comedy channel, a 24/7 broadcast featuring over 800 comedians, with Maniscalco’s Comedy Radio. The latter will feature Mansicalco’s material along with a curated mix of comedians dead and alive. The move will eliminate about 500 comedians from the original channel.

Comedians have responded with outrage and criticism. The nonprofit Stand Up for Stand Up called SiriusXM’s decision “bad for the future of comedy,” saying it “hurts passive revenue, and discoverability, as well as the infrastructure that supports up and coming comedians.” The likes of Patton Oswalt, Dane Cook, and Marc Maron have come out in support of the statement.

“Sebastian, c’mon, man,” said Oswalt in a video. “From one touring comedian to the other: do the right thing.”

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Maniscalco, 53, has now responded to the backlash. The comedian—who trails behind only Nate Bargatze and Kevin Hart in touring popularity—released a response via Instagram Stories.

“This goes out to all my fellow comedians,” he said. “I want to let you know I heard you, I support you, I love you. I know how hard the grind is; believe me, I’ve been there.”

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Maniscalco denied being a part of the decision-making process. “I had nothing to do with removing the Raw Comedy from SiriusXM. That was a SiriusXM decision,” said the comedian, who has over 2.5 million followers on Instagram.

“But I also wanna let you know that I’m going to work with SiriusXM to highlight a variety of different voices in stand-up comedy, from emerging to established to newcomers and everything in between.”

As the Los Angeles Times points out, SiriusXM has been a “significant source of revenue for middle-class or working-class comics.” Comedian Liz Miele, who has had her material on Raw Comedy for decades, told the Daily Beast that comedians now have “no safety net.” She said, “I know people that are struggling to get work because it’s harder to get work.”

Maniscalco requested “a little time to build out the channel.”

“I want to let you know that I heard you,” he said, adding that he asks people to be “a little patient.”

In a follow-up statement responding to Maniscalco’s video, Miele said Maniscalco’s message was “vague,” but she understands why.

“He took over this channel in April, and then one day he woke up in October, and everybody was mad,” Miele said. “I get that it was probably a whirlwind for him as well. But acknowledging that there should be a variety of quality comedians from all levels feels like a win. I also feel like he made a public promise, and there are hundreds of comedians that will be in the wings waiting.”

SiriusXM also responded to the backlash. Its statement distanced Maniscalco from the channel’s shift in content.

“We have been listening to comedians speak out this week and want to clarify that our decision to end Raw Comedy was due to the channel’s underperformance and came prior to Sebastian joining the SiriusXM lineup,” the statement said.

“While the challenges facing working comedians are bigger than any one person or decision, we remain committed, as we have for more than two decades, to making SiriusXM a place where comedians at every stage of their careers can be heard.”

The Daily Beast has reached out to Maniscalco’s representatives for comment.

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Meera NavlakhaEntertainment Reporter

Dana Herrnstadt Editorial Intern, Obsessed

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