This year’s list of the top 1,000 comedians has a perfectly 2017 spin to it
While some people may be satisfied with year-end lists consisting of 10 or even 20 entries— some of which are great and you should definitely go read them —others, like comedian Zach Broussard, set their sights a little higher. For the past four years, the L.A.-based comedian has been constructing his definitive list of the top 1,000 comedians of the year (so far!). This year’s list was unveiled yesterday and had a perfect 2017 spin to it.
Though taking the time to create a list of 1,000 names is a humorous enough premise in itself, Broussard always presents the list in a frustratingly difficult to read way that both comments on the absurdity of these lists and the act of ranking artistic merit in the first place. In 2014, the names were posted to a Tumblr page that took forever to scroll through, and in 2015 the format switched to an independent website where readers were forced to click through the names one at a time. Last year, Broussard took the venture offline by renting ten billboards around the Los Angeles area, each of which featured a portion of the list.
For 2017, things are back online, but this time in video form. On Tuesday, Broussard hosted a 90-minute livestream event during which the 1,000 names were read out loud, starting with number one thousand, Amy Schumer. It doesn’t take long to realize the extra twist that’s been added to the ranking for 2017— a year that’s become synonymous with the sexual harassment reckoning for men in the entertainment industry. As Splitsider points out, “Every single comedian featured on the list this year also happens to be a woman.”
You’ll have to watch the full video to see which women in comedy have the most “#buzz” to make the cut, but don’t even think about transcribing the list so you can share it with other people, because Broussard promises he will “sue for everything you’ve got.”