Ari Shaffir's This is Not Happening

Ari Shaffir's This is Not Happening

From Why Are You Laughing? by Blind Mike Project

April 9, 2026 · 1h 16m

About this episode

This episode explores Ari Shaffir's impact on comedy storytelling through his series 'This Is Not Happening' and the controversies surrounding it.

Ari Shaffir’s This Is Not Happening on Comedy Central changed comedy storytelling.In this episode of Why Are You Laughing?, we break down the history of Ari Shaffir’s storytelling series, his rise in stand-up, and the controversy with Comedy Central after he sold his special to Netflix instead of giving it to them.Featuring comedians like Big Jay Oakerson, Joey Diaz, Ralphie May, Ali Siddiq, Sal Vulcano, and Brian Regan, the show became a proving ground for some of the best true stories in comedy. We also dive into Ari’s own infamous moments, including his fight story with Bobby Lee.We explore how This Is Not Happening redefined long-form storytelling in stand-up, why it connected so deeply with audiences, and how Ari Shaffir built something that still stands out in comedy today.This is a deep dive into one of the most unique shows in modern stand-up.TIMESTAMPS0:00 Intro4:19 Creation11:21 Respect in Comedy22:17 Platforming comedians27:12 Online popularity32:18 Ali Siddiq prison story36:35 Bobby Lee vs. Ari Shaffir41:02 Sal Vulcano takes pants hostage44:56 Brian Regan dog campaign52:08 Comedy Central fires Ari1:06:27 Roy Wood Jr. takes overFOR ALL THINGS BLIND…

People in this episode

Host: Blind Mike

Topics covered

  • comedy storytelling
  • Ari Shaffir
  • This Is Not Happening
  • stand-up comedy
  • controversy
  • long-form storytelling

Keywords

  • Ari Shaffir
  • This Is Not Happening
  • Comedy Central
  • Netflix
  • stand-up
  • storytelling
  • comedians

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Comedy Central, Netflix

More episodes of Why Are You Laughing?

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Why Are You Laughing? podcast page.