Comedy stars lash out at Sebastian Maniscalco over SiriusXM shake-up

Sebastian Maniscalco has found himself in hot water with some comedians who are claiming that his new SiriusXM channel is taking away money and exposure from working-class comics.

Earlier this year, SiriusXM changed a long-running channel in its lineup called Raw Comedy that often featured lesser-known comedians to Sebastian Maniscalco's Comedy Radio.

The new station more prominently features famous comedians now.

Stand Up for Stand Up, a nonprofit that supports comedians, recently wrote an article saying the rebranding has "drastically shifted from a wider pool of 800-plus comedians enjoying spins (and thus, royalties and exposure to the audience of listeners)" on the channel "to a narrower pool of comedians getting plays per month.

"And of those few hundred who are getting spins, over 75% of the plays are going to the top 50 artists, which results in a concentration of wealth among the top echelon, which is largely made up of big-name celebrity comics." SEBASTIAN MANISCALCO IS A NO-NONSENSE FATHER, SAYS PARENTS NEED TO BE 'HALF-PSYCHOTIC' WITH THEIR KIDS The nonprofit called the change "bad for comedians, and bad for the future of comedy," adding, "it hurts passive revenue, and discoverability, as well as the infrastructure that supports up and coming comedians." Maniscalco addressed the criticism in an Instagram Story he shared Wednesday, saying, "This goes out to all my fellow comedians – I want to let you know that I hear you, I support you, I love you.

I know how hard the grind is.

Believe me, I've been there." He said that he "had nothing to do" with removing the channel from SiriusXM, but assured fans that he's planning on working with the company to "highlight a variety of different voices in stand-up comedy," including newcomers, superstars and everyone in between.

"I just ask that you give me a little time, guys," he said.

"I just got here, and I need a little time to build out the channel.

I just wanted to let you know that I heard you, and give me a little time and be patient, and I think you'll like the result." Before Maniscalco made his statement, several of his fellow comedians had been taking issue with his new channel.

Comedian Matt Ruby on his Substack page claimed the channel was "crushing middle class comedians who rely on payments from the company to pad income." Liz Miele, another comedian, said in a video on her Instagram, "This year, the Raw channel on SiriusXM became Sebastian Maniscalco’s channel.

Great.

Fine.

Celebrities have taken over channels before.