A closer look
That spontaneous, brilliant observation your favorite comedian just made about airline food was likely purchased for a flat fee from a stressed writer in a basement. While comedians project an aura of effortless wit, many secretly rely on an entire network of underpaid jokesmiths to punch up their hour-long specials. The illusion of the lonely, tortured comic genius quickly crumbles when you realize they are essentially just charismatic delivery mechanisms for other people's humor.
