How to Be a Clean Comedian

Learning how to write stand-up comedy isn’t just about punchlines. It’s about creating the kind of moments that make an audience lean in, laugh hard, and remember you. And if you’ve ever asked yourself what it really takes to be a clean comedian, Episode 449 of the Clean Comedy Podcast digs right into that. I sat down with James to talk about the true engine behind laughter, and why clean comics can still be both universal and dangerously funny in the best way.

Links to the Clean Comedy Podcast, Episode 449

What we covered in the episode

Both Clean Comedian & Dirty Comedy Require a Delicate Balance

Whether you’re a clean comedian or a dirty one, it takes real skill to build tension, release it, and get huge laughs.

New comedians can struggle writing both clean and dirty material.

When a new comedian writes clean material, they risk not giving the audience anything inappropriate enough. I often call these the “Hey, that’s not right” moment of a joke. Whether you’re a clean or dirty comedian, your material must always have them.
On the other hand, new comedians who write dirty material risk going too far in the other direction. Comedy is always meant to be harmless. Sure, comedians can say some pretty risqué and awful things. However, their material always attempts to feel ultimately harmless (at least to the audience). The moment the audience feels it’s harmful, instead of harmless, the audience will reject it.

Clean Comedians & Dirty Comedians Get Laughs The Same Way

Every solid punchline gives the audience a playfully inappropriate surprise. That means three things happen at once.

Playful: the audience feels your intent is warm and playful. Regardless of what the comedian said, it feels playful and harmless.
Inappropriate: something is off or not OK.
Surprise: The moment the comedian triggers the laughter.

When you nail that balance, the audience laughs.

This is why a clean comedian like Brian Regan and an edgy one like Matt Rife ultimately create humor the same way. Each comedian finds a balance that’s ideal for their audience.

Turning Mistakes On Stage Into Hilarious Moments

One of my favorite stories from the episode is when I riffed on the Declaration of Independence while actually thinking about the Constitution. The mistake got a bigger laugh than the planned bit. If you stay playful, wrong turns become right moments.

What changed in Playfully Inappropriate, Second Edition

Playfully Inappropriate comedy writing book by Jared Volle. Learn how to be a comedian and write jokes — Playfully Inappropriate (2nd Edition)

I rewrote the book to make it easier to use the same day you read it.

Less theory on the page and more application
New Punchline Questions that help you generate better ideas
Clearer guidance on finding inspiration and shaping it into material
Grab it here: Playfully Inappropriate Second Edition on Amazon

Stand-Up Comedy Workbook

The Playfully Inappropriate Workbook for new stand-up comedians to learn comedic storytelling and how to write jokes.

The workbook gives you a simple repeatable system. Same core steps across joke types like broken assumption and exaggeration. That structure helps beginners build reps while staying flexible enough to find their voice.

Get the stand-up comedy writing workbook here.

Faster and Funnier Self-Paced Comedy Course

Online, self-paced stand-up comedy course that teaches both comedic storytelling and how to write stand-up comedy jokes.

If you want a guided path, this course blends the best of Faster and Funnier with the new Playfully Inappropriate approach.  Whether you want to be a clean comedian or a dirty one, a storyteller or a one-liner, this course gives you the tools to get laughs on stage faster.

Live, Online Comedy Classes

Students asked for a blend of weekly email lessons with live sessions. So that we’ve built. You get two emails between each class with challenges, then we meet live to apply the tools and build material together.  Join our next comedy class here.